A Hard Day's Night in Time and Space
by Boogaloo1964
Summary: What starts out as a boring day for the Doctor and Rose turns into a whirlwind adventure full of suspense, intrigue, comedy, and four young Beatles. It can only be a trip to remember. (Not actually AtU)
1. Chapter 1

_*Disclaimer - I (sadly) do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters cited here from Doctor Who. I also do not own the Beatles or any of the references to their work cited here. I also do not own any of the other bands (or their lyrics) cited/mentioned here. The original plot, the original characters, and the overall idea for this story, however, are mine._

 ** _"A Hard Day's Night in Time and Space"_**

It had been a quiet day in the TARDIS. Really quiet. Scarily quiet. Rose was going mad with boredom for the first time ever since she met The Doctor, she thought, but that was nothing compared to what The Doctor was experiencing. He had been trying for hours to get Rose to agree to an adventure of some sort, ANY sort, and he found himself in the unusual position of exasperation with Rose. Anything he would offer (56th century space stations, giant robots in deep space, the planet Klexmontorian Delta Nine-Nine with it's purple skies, blue trees, and six-winged birds), she would simply say "Oh, I dunno, Doctor...", and sigh.

The Doctor knew what her problem was. He could sense it. She was homesick, a feeling that he was very familiar with. He had it almost constantly, but his illness could never be cured. Though he tried to push thoughts of Gallifrey from his mind when Rose was with him. She was the only person who could make him feel so very at home wherever they were.

But her homesickness had caused them both to be bored. Very bored just sitting in the TARDIS. Though it barely made sense for this to be the case, when the magic blue box was one of the most wonderous and magnificent things to exist in the universe. But nevertheless.

So finally, after trying to entice his favorite blonde with numerous outlandish offers of preposterous adventures, he gave up.

The Doctor sighed softly as he stepped away from the controls on the console, and turned to the beat-up bench seat apparently taken from an old car where Rose sat. He ran his long fingers through his chocolate-brown hair (making it stand even more up in the air than usual), and sat down beside Rose, who had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes casually scanning the ceiling.

"Sorry, I never thought I would ask this question, but are you... Are you actually bored?", The Doctor asked, straining to look into her eyes through the obscuring layer of straight blonde hair currently flapped over them.

Rose raised her brown eyes to look at him.

"Are you?".

"Well,", retorted The Doctor, canting his head slightly. He twisted his jaw. "Yeah.".

"What are we going to do about it?".

"I dunno, I asked you if you wanted to see a 56th century space station, and you said 'Oh, I dunno,', said The Doctor, fidgeting with his tie.

"But - I just dunno,", said Rose with a heavy sigh.

"What do either of us know? We've both said 'I dunno' at least ten times today.".

"I don't know, Doctor, I just-", she stopped herself. The Doctor looked at her and raised his eyebrows a little. The both laughed lightly after a moment.

"I just feel like... I'm missing home. A bit,", she said.

They just listened to the hum of the TARDIS for a few seconds.

Then, with a start, The Doctor's be-Conversed feet came down on the grated floor with a 'smack'.

"Gosh,", said Rose upon seeing The Doctor fly to his feet.

"I've got a brilliant idea!", he said smiling wide.

"What?", said Rose, his contagious grin starting to appear on her own lips.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tyler, but I don't believe you've ever been familiarized with the in-flight entertainment of this vessel,", he said, extending his hand towards her.  
Rose's smile filled out, and she grabbed his hand, and in a flash, they were trotting down the corridors of the TARDIS.

With many a twist and turn in the long passageway that The Doctor took her on, they finally came to a door, though it wasn't a typical space-ship-type door. It was unusually... common. It was a regular wooden door that one might find in an actual normal house on Earth. The Doctor turned the brass knob, and showed Rose in.

Rose's jaw dropped.

There were guitars and amplifiers, violins and cellos, trombones and French horns, drums of all kinds, and some rather strange musical instruments (no doubt from Earth's future). In the middle of the jam-packed huge room, there was a grand piano.

"Ahhhh,", breathed Rose, taking it all in.

"Come on,", said The Doctor, leading her through the room.

Rose blindly followed the pull of his hand, her mouth still gaping.

On the other side of the room, there was another wooden door, and through it they went into a smaller room. If the first music room was grand, this one was just plain cool.

"Here, Miss Tyler, you will find all sorts of neat musical doo-dads from your very own planet,", The Doctor smiled a little to see Rose looking wide-eyed at all the wonders in the room.

On the right side of the room, there was a jukebox, shiny and just like new. On the left side of the room, there were several racks of cassette and eight-track tapes and a tape player wired to speakers. But on the far side of the room was the real showpiece. There stood on a stand directly in front of Rose a vintage 1940s gramophone, complete with bronze horn, twisting nobly into the air. On either side there stood tables, and on their tops were boxes completely teeming with vinyl records.

Rose scuttled across the room immediately, and The Doctor smiled with satisfaction.

"Oh, my God, Doctor,", she said, shuffling through the dozens and dozens of titles. "I didn't know you were so into rock!", she said, holding up a battered copy of Led Zeppelin's 'Houses of the Holy', and in her other hand an equally well-loved copy of 'Dark Side of the Moon'.

"That one was a gift,", said the Doctor, pointing to the Led album. "Robert practically begged me to take that one,", said The Doctor.

"Robert...?", said Rose. "Robert Plant?", she almost whispered, but she could see that The Doctor was already preparing to give her *the cough* that meant "I'm too modest to talk about this". Rose blinked and moved on.

She kept thumbing through the records, finding all kinds of cool things and names of singers she had only ever heard her mother mention. Then, she noticed an old-fashioned type suitcase, slightly battered. She reached over and opened it, half expecting it to be a portable record player. But it wasn't.

Rose's jaw dropped yet again.

Inside the suitcase were several LPs and a few singles, all by one artist. The Beatles. Rose immediately recognized the iconic image on the cover of one of the records on top; The Fab Four crossing a very, very famous street. There was another record that was near the top, with retro-type print in the top left corner that read "Rubber Soul". But that wasn't all. As she flipped it over to look at the back, she immediately noticed some scrawled writing; Rose only had to strain a little to make out the words: _"Good luck, Paul McCartney"_ , and just to the right of that, _"Cheers, Ringo Starr"_.

Rose squawked.

"And the inside jacket,", said The Doctor, whom she was now aware was looking over her shoulder.

She very, very carefully pried the cardboard sleeve open, and out gently slipped the LP in it's paper jacket.

 _"All the best, George Harrison_ ".

Rose was now almost afraid to touch any part of what had just come out of the suitcase.

"What about Lennon?".

"Oh, we got chatting, and before you know it, we forgot all about the record,", said The Doctor, casually swaying from side to side, his hands in the pockets of his brown pinstriped trousers.

Rose suddenly felt like her brain was going to explode.

"HAAA, Oh, my God, Doctor!", she exclaimed, handing the record over, the full realization setting in.

He started giggling, and Rose covered her mouth with both hands and took a step back.

"I'm guessing you're a fan?".

"God, yeah! I mean, my mum never really like anything but Neil Diamond, so she never liked them,", Rose stopped and made a face. The Doctor chuckled.

"But anyway, my aunt was a HUGE fan, and she was a teenager during Beatlemania, and she actually went to one of their shows and... well, she ripped off a bit of Ringo's blazer and she fainted during the show because she still swears to this day that Paul looked directly at her. She has the shred of Ringo's blazer framed on her mantlepiece to this day. But anyway, when I was over at their house one time years ago now, she showed me some of their music, and... I fell in love,", gushed Rose.

"Really? 'Cause I thought you were one of those 90s music people, like... Madonna, or whatever,", said The Doctor, sticking out his tongue a little and cringing.

"No! Why didn't you just ask me? We could've been rocking out together!", she said, and they were both laughing out loud by then.

"Well, why don't we make up for lost time?", said The Doctor, slipping a 45 out of the case and popping it on the gramophone.

 _"Well she was just seventeen, you know what I mean, but the way she looked was way beyond compare,_ " the speakers sang within seconds.

The Doctor whisked Rose to the middle of the room, and before either of them knew it, they were dancing like idiots, bopping their heads and swaying from side to side as was the fashion to do back in the day.

 _"Well, my heart went boom, when I crossed that room, and I held her hand in mIIINNE"._

The Doctor twirled Rose over and over across the room until Rose thought she was getting dizzy.

 _"Now I'll never dance with another, *OOOOO* since I saw her standing there, since I saw her standing there, well, since I saw her standing there"._

The Doctor finished off the number with a very deep dip that left Rose's hair lightly brushing the floor.

When he pulled her back up into his chest, they were both breathless and giggling almost hysterically.

"So what do you say?", The Doctor said, looking mischievously down into Rose's eyes.

"To what?".

"Oh, come on. I've got a time machine. We've got the want-to. I'm sure the boys wouldn't mind us popping in.".

Rose's mouth fell open yet again, and she twisted her jaw.

"Oh. My. God. You're not suggesting...?".

"Sure! I've regenerated since I've last seen them. They'll never recognize me. Not unless I wear a vegetable on my lapel again...", said The Doctor, his eyes trailing off.

Rose just smiled up at him, completely ignoring this strange reference.

"So. Is that a yes?".

"Doctor,", she said timidly, a smile unsuppressable on her face, her finger motioning him closer to listen. He bent down and turned his ear towards her.

"YES! I WANT TO MEET THE BEATLES!", she exclaimed laughing, and he rared back, his eardrum popping. Though it didn't make him angry. Not at all. They were about to go on an adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

"So how many times have you actually met them, The Beatles?", asked Rose, who had not stopped excitedly chattering since they had emerged from the music room(s).

The Doctor and her were now hand in hand, walking back with a spring in their steps to the console room.

"Oh, a few times,", said The Doctor modestly. Rose saw through it.

"Come on, Doctor,", she said.

"Well... Maybe once or twice, or, ehem, 6 times, but that was it, honestly,", he said, giving *that cough* again.

"I want to know all about them.".

"Well, you're going to meet them, what more can you ask for?", said The Doctor, giggling at his companion's enthusiam.

"I want to know everything you know about them. And all about the 6 times. Did you like go to their shows and meet them afterwards, or were you in the crowds of screaming girls chasing their car?", said Rose, teasing.

"Well, Each time was in a different regeneration cycle, of course, and as John Smith. Oh, I was around for a few recording sessions, and a few other things...".

"Oh, my God, are you on one of their songs, Doctor?".

"Well...", said The Doctor, modestly canting his head from side to side.

"Oh, my gosh, you are! Oh. My. God. Are you 'Doctor Robert'?", said Rose, now rambling like an excited school girl.

"Well... No. I was on one of their songs, but I got cut.".

"You got cut?!", said Rose, starting to laugh.

"Yeah, well, kind of. You know that track on the White Album, 'Revolution 9'?".

"Yeah, the one with all the random voices and sounds?".

"That's the one. Well, anyhow, I was going to be the voice saying 'Number 9, Number 9', until I got cut.".

"Why did you get cut, Doctor?".

"Well, apparently, my voice at the time had... erm, 'bad vibrations'. According to Yoko, anyway. So she fired me,", said The Doctor, giving a half-smile.

"Yoko? You were fired by Yoko Ono?", asked Rose. "Why couldn't they fix that in dubbing, or whatever they call it?".

"My aura. It was purple, apparently. She couldn't even stand the sight of me. What I meant was; 'Good vibes, man'...?".

"Oooooh, I see,", said Rose, now starting to giggle at The Doctor's 'hippy voice' he had just pulled.

"But it wasn't all that bad. Because George taught me how to play the sitar, and I'm on a few tracks, just briefly.".

Just then, they arrived back at the console.

"So,", said The Doctor, "Where to? '63, 'Pop Go The Beatles'? Hamburg? 'Abbey Road' recording sessions? Ed Sullivan? Doesn't make any difference to me, it's all Fab,", said The Doctor, emphasizing the last word as he flipped switches on the console.

"'64 sounds cool to me. Can you dig it, Doctor?", she said, joining in, giving him a coy wink. A smirk started to pull at the corner of The Doctor's mouth, and he dodged back around the blue column in the center of the console.

"Sounds totally boss, baby,", he replied, deepening his voice a little to sound more masculine while Rose tried not to laugh.

The Doctor was clicking dials, typing rapidly on the typewriter wired to the mainframe, and in a moment, he put his hand on the main switch that ultimately sent them into the time vortex. He looked back around the console and gave Rose a quick wink before giving it a tug, which sent the TARDIS sailing violently through the vortex. Rose and The Doctor clung to the console, and laughed giddily as they were thrown this way and that.

After about a full 30 seconds of rough riding, they stopped, and the familiar groaning, moaning sound of the TARDIS landing sounded in their ears, followed by the firm thud of a completed materialization.

Rose didn't wait a moment before running to the doors, and The Doctor followed her, grabbing his coat from one of the odd-shaped columns on the way out the door. Rose didn't wait half a second before bursting out the doors.

It was a street. Nothing going on, just cars parked alongside. Not a soul to be seen.

"So where are we?".

"Good old London-town, near Marylbone Station.".

"When are we?".

"2nd of March, 1964."

"Right,", said Rose, looking around.

"Wait for it...", said The Doctor, peering around the cars parked alongside the road.

Rose squinted a little at him, wondering if he was starting to go mad.

Then Rose became aware of a few men on the opposite side of the street on the pavement. They were obscured by the parked cars at first. One was just standing around, talking to another man, who had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and yet another had his face pressed up against some big black object that Rose couldn't quite fully see. She stood up on her toes to try to see over the cars.

"Aha,", she said to herself. It was a movie camera. "I can see now,", she said. Then a confused look came over her face. "But... What is that bloke doing with a movie camera?".

Just then, the man with the cigarette stepped in front of the camera. He had a clapboard, which he snapped rather loudly.

Rose was now watching intently.

Just then, the man behind the camera exclaimed, "Action!".

Nothing happened.

The man behind the camera waited expectantly. In a moment, he visibly heaved a heavy sigh.

"RIGHT LADS, I'M GONNA YELL REALLY LOUD, AND WHEN YOU HEAR ME SAY 'ACTION', YOU RUN, OKAY?", he said.

Rose was starting to wonder who he could possibly be talking to on an empty street when there came a reply "Sorry, Mister Lester!".

Rose furrowed her brow, and looked for the source. When she looked around a little, she realized that the voice must have been coming from behind a nearby building only a few hundred feet up the street.

Mr. Lester, who was apparently a director of some sort, shook his head, and removed his cap to ruffle his already messy hair, heaving another sigh.

The man with the clapboard ducked in front of the camera again and did his thing, and in a moment, Mr. Lester shouted as loud as ever he could "ACTION!".

Rose watched closely, and out from behind the building that the muffled shout had come from a moment earlier came 3 young men in suits at a dead run. In a second more, the scene became very, very familiar.

At least 4 dozen hysterical teenagers followed - no, chased the three young men (whose identity was now so obvious that it was impossible to guess wrong) down the street. The screams were absolutely deafening.

The camera crew sat stationary at the end of the block, The Beatles (minus Paul) running straight at them, the mob of fans on their heels.

Rose watched giddily, and The Doctor plugged his ears with his fingers.

As the actors reached the end of the block, a man attempted to shout into a megaphone above the screams "CUT!".

George, John and Ringo, unable to stop, dodged around the camera crew and slowed themselves, and in a second, the director was overwhelmed by the following crowd of extras, trying in vain to come to a screeching halt.

"All right, girls and lads, we've got to try a new shot,", started the director, though Rose didn't hear any of the rest of it.

"Come on, let's get closer,", said The Doctor, nudging Rose to cross the street.

"Are you sure? Won't they notice we aren't supposed to be here? They shut the street down so people couldn't get in, didn't they?", she said.

"They'll never notice us, there's such a crowd,", he said reassuringly.

"Okay,", said Rose not wanting to argue.

Rose and The Doctor crossed the street and squeezed past the parked cars, filtering into the crowd of extras.

It wasn't 30 seconds before the director shouted, "Reset, please, everyone! RESET!".

The crowd started back up the street, along with the Beatles. Rose and The Doctor started walking back up as well, hanging towards the edge of the group.

Just then, Rose felt a hand on her arm, nudging her further into the crowd. She looked around.

"Come on, sweetheart, we've got to make this quick. I've got a schedule almost as tight as the boys',", said the director, on her heels, prodding her on with the crowd. Rose easily guessed who he meant by 'the boys'.

Rose didn't say anything, but she picked up her pace to keep up with the crowd. Then she felt an arm accidentally brush her shoulder. She looked over.

She saw the sleeve of a suit. Her eyes followed it up to the shoulder, past the collar, up the neck, all the way to the dark, floppy hair.

"Don't worry about him, love. He's just a bit cross because the lads and I are bit rubbish at acting,", said the man next to her.

It was George. George Harrison.

A huge lump rose in Rose's throat. After a second that felt like a whole minute of standing and involuntarily staring, a little voice screamed in Rose's head 'SAY SOMETHING!', but all that came out was a faint wheezing sound. She quickly clapped her mouth shut, and swallowed hard.

"I... I think you're doing brilliantly,", she said, trying to get it together quickly.

"That's nice of you to say, but we're rubbish anyway,", he said, snorting a little. "I'm George,", he said, smiling down at her, offering a hand.

She accepted it, but before she realized what was happening, he raised her hand to his mouth and planted a kiss on it.

Rose stopped breathing.

"And your name is...?", he asked, still not releasing her hand.

A second and a half of panic set in when Rose realized that she couldn't remember her name. She didn't allow herself to stammer, but instead gulped once again. Then it came to her.

"Rose. Rose Tyler,", the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Rose,", he echoed. "So have you ever been in a film before?".

"N- No,", stuttered Rose.

"Really? Because you look like an actress. Definitely pretty enough...", he said, looking her up and down with his brown eyes. Rose's face flushed.

"I... I've never even been on a film set before,", she said, looking away from him.

"Are you sure? Because I could have sworn I've seen you before...", he continued.

If Rose could have turned a darker shade of red she would have been redder than the reddest apple. And if the nearby Doctor could have turned a darker shade of green he would definitely be greener than the green apple label on his unexpected rival's records.

By then they were rounding the corner and were almost in position to reset. Just then, two more young men in suits stepped up beside George.

"Come on, George. We've got to work, not flirt,", said John.

"Why can't we do both? Easy for you to say anyway, you're tied down to the old ball and chain,", groaned George before giving Lennon a good-natured shove to the side.

"Be a sport, John,", chimed in Ringo, giving John a playful punch in the arm.

Just then the director shouted "RESET PLEASE, PEOPLE, WE'VE GOT TO GET THIS MOVING ALONG!", and George finally released Rose's hand and let her catch up with her Doctor in the crowd.

"I'll be seeing you, Rose!", he called after her. She turned and smiled at him before walking on.

As Rose walked away, she thought she heard Ringo mutter to George, "At least she didn't swoon like the last one".

Rose nearly laughed, but she stifled it and continued on.

When she trotted up to the Doctor, he was visibly grinding his teeth.

"So. I've see you've met a few of them,", he said, heaving a sigh through his teeth, and clinching his fists in the pockets of his brown trenchcoat.

"Doctor... You're not... Jealous? Are you?", said Rose, amusement in her eyes.

"Jealous? Me? Pshh...", he tried to scoff, but it wasn't nearly as convincing as he thought it was. He ran his long fingers nervously through his heavily-gelled brown hair, mussing it up even more than it had been before (but really, his hair was excellent in any form, from every angle). He started fidgeting with his tie, tugging on the Windsor knot repeatedly.

There wasn't time to say anything more before the director shouted once again "ACTION!".

The Beatles took off at a lope, and the throng of extras followed with about a 5 second delay. Rose and The Doctor felt quite at home, running. But for once they weren't running from a murderous monster from deep space or a bomb about to wipe out half of creation. They were chasing after possibly the single best and most successful band to ever exist.

Rose was trying to run on tip-toe so as to get a view of the boys in question when suddenly George tripped and fell, and Ringo fell over him. John was laughing at the pair of them.

And in that moment, Rose knew this was the famous shot that was going to be used in the film. And she was in it (though she and The Doctor would watch it back at a later date, and Rose would swear that the top of her blonde head was visible for a few seconds, but The Doctor would insist it was the girl in front of her). But she was there when it all happened, anyway.

So at the end of this take, the director shouted to the crowd; "All right, ladies and gents, we're running out of time, and we've gotta get the stuff with Paul inside the train station before lunch. But this time, we're going to try it on the other side of the street. So please if you could all reset across the street, that would be lovely!".

"RESET PEOPLE, ACROSS THE STREET!", echoed another one of the crew.

Rose was starting to cross the street when she felt the Doctor's gentle but repetitive tapping on her arm.

"What is it?", she whispered.

"TARDIS,", he bent down and breathed in her ear, nodding towards the police box sitting on the pavement that was now about to get trompled by 3/4 of a pop group and 4 dozen extras.

"Oh,", said Rose. "What are we going to do? It's not like we can just move it out of the way in front of all these people.".

"It's all right,", he said knowingly. "Watch this.".

He reached into his inside pocket and produced his screwdriver, the blue tip only barely visible from under his coat. He gave the button on the side a little squeeze, and it made it's buzzing sound, the end lighting up. Rose waited for something to happen. Nothing did.

She looked over at the Doctor expectantly. He gave her a wink.

"RESET, PEOPLE! MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT! WE'RE ALL ON A SCHEDULE!", said the director, now getting impatient.

Everyone sped it up across the street, and took their position behind a building at the end of the street. Rose kept looking at the Doctor questioningly.

"ACTION!".

The crowd started running, headed by the Fab 3/4ths. Rose kept looking up ahead, and she noticed immediately something wasn't right. The entire mob was running directly towards the TARDIS, as if they fully intended to just smack right into it.

Rose's breath caught in her throat as it looked like Ringo was going to run right into the TARDIS like he didn't even see it.

But in another second, he just disappeared without a trace. He didn't go in the doors, it's just like he just disintigrated the minute he touched it. The same happened with the other two boys, and then with the rest of the crowd.

"Paranuclear perception filter. They don't see it, it doesn't even exist to them. So they just pass on through,", said the Doctor.

"How? Are they in the TARDIS?", asked Rose.

"No, no, they just pass through it as if it weren't even there,", said the Doctor, grinning slyly.

Just then, Rose noticed something wasn't right. The crowd in front of her now seemed to be dodging the TARDIS, and looked at it peculiarly.

The Doctor's expression changed quickly from one of cocky satisfaction to one of alarm.

"Oh, no, no, no,", he said, taking out his screwdriver and starting to fiddle with it, pointing it at the TARDIS.

"What?".

"The perception field, it's shorting out. They can see the TARDIS now.".

"Well, it's almost the end of the shot, no one will say anything. They'll just think they hadn't noticed it before,", said Rose.

"I hope so,", said the Doctor.

"CUT!", screamed the director at the end of the block.

"Good,", said the Doctor. "They may not capture it on film if they cut now,", he said. "Look, I think we should just check on the old girl for a moment before we get on and do whatever. The perception filter shorted for a reason. It's one of the basic defenses. I hope it's not the thermocuplings overheating and shorting out the radiospherical receptors again,", groaned the Doctor.

They casually slipped away from the crowd and slickly made their way back into the time machine without anyone noticing a thing. They hoped.

But what they didn't hear was the director's panic-stricken voice; "Where's the boys?!".


	3. Chapter 3

Rose and the Doctor entered the TARDIS as they usually do; Rose casually traipsing in, and The Doctor frantically running up to the console, directly followed by fanning smoking mechanical parts and pieces with his blackened oven gloves (that he always kept resting on the console) and shouting "No, no, no!".

Although something was a little different about this time.

"Crackers.".

The Doctor stopped what he was doing. He turned to Rose. Rose turned to him. They asked each other in unison; "Sorry, was that you?". The both shook their heads slowly.

"Gee, mister, I hope you don't mind my asking, but... where are we?", said a decidedly Liverpudlian voice.

Rose and The Doctor looked around to the other side of the console. There stood three young men in suits with identical floppy haircuts, looking around, eyes like dinner plates.

"Oh. No.", said the Doctor, Rose had a feeling mostly to himself.

For a moment, the three young men stared at the time travelers, and the time travelers stared back, equally flabbergasted.

"Rose?", said George, recognizing the blonde's face from only a few minutes ago.

"Uh,", stammered Rose.

"O... Kay. I don't suppose I could just ask you to leave and never EVER tell anyone about this...?", said the Doctor very doubtfully.

There was dead silence for a moment.

"And who are you, anyway?", said Ringo, furrowing his brow as he looked over the peculiar Doctor.

"I'm - I'm the Doctor. But that doesn't matter,", said the Doctor.

"A doctor of what?", asked George.

"Aye, Doctor who?", questioned Ringo.

"It... It doesn't matter. That's just what they call me. How long have you been in here, anyway?".

"Look, mister, all we did was run down the street, and then *SNAP*! We're in this... Place. Room. Thing,", said Ringo. "What is it, anyway?".

"Yeah, what is all this stuff?", said John, approaching the console and all the strange gadgets attached to it.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah,", said the Doctor, heading him off.

"Is this some kind of science fiction thing?", said George, starting to stare questioningly at the 'round things' on the walls, and the strange-shaped support columns at the sides of the room.

"Um, no,", started the Doctor.

"Are you Russians?", asked Ringo.

"What's that grotty smell?", asked John.

"Ok, one question at a time, please, since you will obviously want answers,", said the Doctor.

"What is this place?", asked John.

"It's...,", sighed the Doctor. "It's a time machine. And a space ship.".

Silence. John just looked at the Doctor for a good many seconds.

"Oh, no. I've fallen and hit my 'ead, haven't I? I knew I shouldn't trust these bloody new shoelaces, Cynthia told me I'd be tripping over them,", said John, rationalizing.

"Nope. This is all real.".

Then there was more standing and staring.

"How did we get here, then, if this is real?", asked George.

"Ah, well, that's complicated. Let's just say that you accidentally slipped through my perception filter I had set on the TARDIS... and you ended up inside it.".

"What's a, a TARDIS? Is that what this place is?", asked George, trying out the strange new word in his mouth.

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space, and I told you, it's a time machine and a space craft, all rolled up into one.".

"A time machine,", breathed John, fascinated, now aimlessly stumbling around the huge room.

"Is this real? We haven't been drugged, or something?", George asked Rose, a bit winded.

"Nope. This is real.".

"Don't be daft. You've got to be joking,", said Ringo, though it was quite obvious he found the room interesting if not fascinating.

"Nope. It's all real. Pinch yourselves,", said Rose, grinning a little at the lot of them in their 'first-time-TARDIS-shock'.

John immediately reached over and pinched Ringo, to which Ringo responded after a little yelp with a hard pinch to John's arm, to which John responded with a rather girlish cry.

"It's definitely real. Lennon squeels like a girl,", said Ringo, laughing.

Then the horseplay between Ringo and John ensued before it was put to a stop by a stern "Oi!", from the Doctor.

"But I still don't understand. How did we end up here, and what's a perception filter?", asked George.

"Look,", said the Doctor, "It's complicated.".

"We've got time. It's a time machine,", said John, laughing a little.

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair, and sighed through his teeth. "It's, eh, well, a perception filter is a redirection of neural links in the perception, sort of, system that redirects your mind from the object or person or whatever it is that is, em, omitting the em, signal. That blocks you from seeing said vegetable, mineral, or animal.". The Doctor's expression clearly showed that he didn't expect anyone to understand what he was saying.

"So. That's that then. So was your TARDIS, or whatever, what was omitting this filter?", asked Ringo.

The Doctor immediately sighed with relief. It's always easier to explain things to a sharp mind.

"Yes. It was parked on the pavement that you lads were on. And when you ran through it, it just kind of shorted out.".

"Ah, loose connection. Ought to have that looked at, mister,", said George cleverly.

"He was an electrician for a bit, you know,", said John.

"Apprentice electrician,", corrected George.

"Anyway,", said the Doctor, "now that we've got all this sorted, I guess I'll just drop you lads off safely back to set, right?", said the Doctor, starting to fiddle with knobs.

"Just a minute!", said John, stepping in front of the Doctor. "If this is a time machine, and a space ship, then we can go anywhere. In all of time and space. And still get back on time,", he breathed.

"We've all been wanting some time to ourselves. Now we could have all that we want!", exclaimed Ringo.

"Tut, tut, I think you need to get back to work, lads. Lester will lose all his hair if you don't show your faces soon,", protested the Doctor.

"You've got to be mad. To just walk away, and leave all this? Potty,", said John, still in awe of what he had just accidentally stepped into.

"But you've got to go,", said the Doctor. "It could be very dangerous for you.".

"Danger? What's more dangerous than running from throngs of screaming girls eight days a week?", said Ringo, snorting.

Just then, Rose took the Doctor aside.

"You really think it would be dangerous to take them along?".

"Yes! Just think of all the paradoxes. They could see their own personal future, or something... or maybe invent the electric guitar a century too early, or... Stuff!", he said, trying to find an excuse not to take them on.

"Come on, Doctor. How is this more dangerous than taking Cleopatra on a holiday to the 21st century Bahamas? Or taking Beethoven to see the Stones?", said Rose, eluding to a few of the Doctor's recent excursions.

"You promised you would never bring that up again,", said the Doctor defensively, pointing a finger at her.

Rose gave him a sideways smirk.

The Doctor heaved a very heavy sigh.

"Oh, all right.".

"YES!", exclaimed Rose, and the lads, who were previously preoccupied looking around the TARDIS, were now looking at their hosts inquisitively.

The Doctor looked the lot of them in the faces for a moment, and they looked back.

"Just one trip, and then it's home for you lot,", said the Doctor, trying to look stern, but a smile was creeping through.

"WOOHOO!", exclaimed John. Ringo gave a whoop, and George lifted Rose up off her feet and gave her a spin round.

"So where to? The next century, the prior, the first? How about the 75th century - on Mars?", said the Doctor, preparing the TARDIS for takeoff.

"Wait!", John suddenly exclaimed.

"Shall I come back to your side? We'll forget the tears we cried", mumbled Rose. John just gave her a funny look. The Doctor cleared his throat very pointedly.

"What is it?", the Doctor asked.

"We're not going anywhere without Paul.".

"He'll be sore if we leave him out,", added George.

"And we all know Paul when he's sore,", chimed in Ringo.

The Doctor sighed for about the fiftieth time that day.

"Right, where's McCartney?", he resigned.

"In the train station,", said Ringo.

"Who's going to go get him?", asked George.

"We can't possibly go back in there,", said John. "It'll all turn potty, and we'll never get to come back once Lester gets ahold of us again.".

"I'll go,", volunteered Rose.

"No,", protested the Doctor. "You're a perfect stranger. He'll think you're a crazed fan or something,", he dismissed. Then a light came into his brown eyes.

"Oh, no. I know that look,", said Rose. "No new TARDIS setting test-runs. You sent us a little too close to the sun last time, and she's already got a short or something,", Rose protested.

"Oh, you sound just like your mother! The TARDIS is always ready for a new adventure! And speaking of Jackie, I just downloaded this last one on that last stop off at your mother's!", the Doctor begged. The Beatles felt like they had just fallen in the middle of a marital spat, awkwardly looking between the two time travelers.

"It's your machine,", Rose resigned, sighing.

The Doctor kind of did a miniature happy-dance and started giddily fiddling and twisting knobs on the console and doing some typing on the typewriter. After a few seconds of adjustments, he stuck the end of his screwdriver in a hole next to the monitor, pressed the little button on. The blue light came on with a 'bzzzzzzzzz' and in a moment, he pulled down the release lever.

*CRASH! ZAP! BANG! LURRRRRCH... VWORP, VWORP, VWORP*

The TARDIS made an assortment of not-so-good sounds that the Doctor would usually call 'perfectly normal' when he was pushing it to do something it really shouldn't try. The 'vworping' was particularly strained. And all that wasn't even to mention the rough riding. The boys were clinging to whatever they could find with white knuckles. The whole room flung from side to side (at one time almost turning completely upside down), and by the time they were coming in for a landing, they were all lying on the floor, clinging to the perimeter railing.

"Right, then, lads, go fetch McCartney,", said the Doctor, who was standing at the console, pretending that the ride had been like a luxury sedan cruise down the highway rather than a really dodgy amusement park ride.

The lads struggled up off the floor, straightening their suits and ties, and silently wondering what in the world they had just gotten themselves into.

Rose led them back to the door and out onto the street. They followed her, staggering dizzily.

As soon as Rose went out the door, she knew something was very wrong. It was cold. Freezing cold. There was snow piled at the sides of the ice-glazed street, white flurries gently fluttering down out of the gray skies. That was all not even to mention that Rose was pretty sure that she wasn't even anywhere near Marylbone Station.

"Doctor,", she said, shivering and zipping up her jacket.

The Doctor swaggered rather satisfactorily out of the TARDIS, assuming he was summoned to be praised for the marvelous time and place at which he had landed them and his perfect parking. His expression changed once he was outside. The boys were staring out around them, totally shocked and amazed. John, on the other hand, was circling the TARDIS, probably trying to figure out the whole 'bigger on the inside" bit.

"Doctor, how is it snowing?".

"Oh, no.".

The Doctor produced his screwdriver from his inside jacket pocket that he had retrieved from the console, and gave the area a scan.

"Oh. no,", he repeated.

"What?".

"December 2nd, 1963. We're early.".

"A bit, yeah! But how are we supposed to find Paul? He won't be around here for another four months!", exclaimed Rose.

"Allow me to explain the software,", said the Doctor. "I locked onto McCartney's timeline. I was aiming for the morning before he got to the train station to film his bits. I got everything perfect, just perfect. Except for the four months.".

"Where is he?", Rose asked.

"He is...", said the Doctor, screwdrivering once again, "In a general that way direction,", he said pointing down the rather empty city street they were parked on. "George, you go with Rose,", he directed.

"What's up?", he asked.

"We've got to go find Paul. He'll come with you, not me,", she said the George, starting to lead him down the street with her.

"I dunno about that,", said Ringo. "Paul follows blondes around all the time anyway.".


	4. Chapter 4

A few minutes passed, just George and Rose walking down the empty London street, trying to keep warm in their jackets intended for March. The tiny snowflakes started to pile up on George's shoulders and back, and he shivered, crouching further down in his jacket.

Rose was waiting for something. She was fully expecting there to be the usual string of questions about the TARDIS after seeing what it looked like on the inside and outside. She was kind of shocked that he hadn't been gushing about it all the way down the street.

"So... What'd you think?", she finally asked.

"Of what?".

"The TARDIS.".

"Oh. It's nice, really happening,", he replied, smiling a little.

Rose cleared her throat. There were a few things she thought he should know.

"The Doctor's an alien, I'm from the future, and... it's bigger on the inside.".

"Yeah. Boss,", he replied, looking back over at her.

She looked at him for a moment, expecting more comment. But none came.

"I'm the quiet one,", he finally added, sensing her expectation of further comment.

"No, it's... Really cool. Most people would have asked about fifty questions by now,", said Rose, who was thoroughly impressed by the refreshing change.

A moment of silence as they walked, and the snow picked up a little.

"So... Maybe I do have a question. It's a police box. How does that work?", he asked, looking over at her.

"I... um, it's hard to explain. It's... um, well, it's like...", she said, stumbling for the right words, and still not quite used to talking to a Beatle.

"It's all right. I would probably somehow magically put a huge time machine inside a police box if I had my pick of things to put it in,", he said, giggling. Rose looked back around at him and couldn't help but laugh too.

"Really, though, it's alien science. Interdimensional... alien science.".

George was silent, and Rose didn't look over to study his expression, though she could visualize it.

Just then, they turned a corner in the street, and directly in front of them was a theater. And they didn't notice the posse of girls that were only yards away. When they finally looked up, it was too late.

The screams rang in Rose's ears. George took her hand and immediately started running as fast as they could back down the street and around the corner, the girls in hot pursuit.

George could run fast. Very fast. He had to. Rose could barely keep up with him. The girls screamed in her ears, and a few girls in the front of the posse tried to pull her hair and clothes. And it was a good thing that George found the edge of a rather obscured alleyway to dodge into right when he did, because the girls were starting to seriously gain on Rose.

George pulled her behind the wall and they flattened themselves until the last of the screaming girls had passed on down the street. They had just started to be back at ease, when there was one last little girl loping down the street, screaming at the top of her lungs and trying in vain to catch up with the group. They hid themselves again for about five more seconds before easing back.

Rose then allowed herself to start gasping for air to catch her breath.

"Is this really what your life is like?", she asked.

"Yes, most of the time,", he smiled bashfully. He reassumed her hand and started to lead her up the rather dark alleyway.

"Where are we going?", she asked.

"To find Paul. He should be up here.".

"How do you know?", said Rose just then remembering about Paul after the ordeal she had just gone through.

"December 2nd. He's in the theater with us rehearsing for the show that night,", said George. "We'll go in the back way.".

"But - we can't", said Rose, rather disappointed.

"Why not?".

"Because we can't have you meeting your former self. It could cause... problems,", she said, before it occurred to her that she sounded just like the Doctor.

George furrowed his brow a little, thinking.

"I bet I know where Paul is this time of day.".

They went on up the alley, all the way up to a small concrete slab that stuck out into the alley. As they got closer, Rose made out the shape of a young man with floppy dark brown hair in a winter coat, sitting out on the step on this freezing cold morning, holding a cigarette in his right hand, looking up at the sky as it gently snowed down on him.

"Paul!", called George, dragging Rose up along with him (who was rather still in awe of her aunt's favorite Beatle).

"George... What are you doing out here?", inquired Paul, looking up from his cigarette. "And 'o's that, then?", he added, noticing Rose.

"This is Rose,", said George, now reaching out his arm and urging his friend to get up. He did.

"You want a ciggie, either of you?", he offered, holding out the carton to both of them.

"Thanks, I don't smoke,", Rose replied politely, which earned a rather queer expression from Paul.

"Ta, but not now. We've got to go,", prodded George.

"What's up?".

"Nothing. The lads and I just want you to come up the street for a bit. We...", he stammered, not quite knowing how to explain the very unusual situation.

"They found something they want you to see,", Rose filled.

"Is this that girl you were telling us about, George?", questioned Paul.

George hesitated a moment, trying to remember what girl he had been telling them about four months ago.

"No, she's not my girl,", he decided to say finally.

"Who is she, then?".

"She's... a friend. Now come on up the street. They're all waiting for you.".

"But they'll be wanting us back in rehearsals-", said Paul motioning back towards the theater.

"No, it's... fine. Now come on. You've got to see this, Paul,", said George, smiling and ushering Paul back down the alley. Paul dropped his cigarette.

They were back at the police box in a few minutes (after some clever maneuvering by George to get around the girls without getting noticed) and the relentless questions from Paul about where they were going and why stopped when they saw ahead the Doctor leaning up against the TARDIS with John and Ringo. Paul started up towards his other two bandmates.

"Ringo, what is all this? Who is she?", asked Paul, pointing to Rose.

"She's called Rose. She's from the year 2006,", he said.

"Now's no time for jokes, lads. What are you all doing? We've got to get to work! We've got to go through the whole rest of the set before lunch!", exclaimed Paul.

"Just come on, Paul,", said John, leading him up to the box.

"What are you all doing? And I hope you don't mind my asking, but who's he?", he asked looking over at the Doctor.

"He's the Doctor. He's an alien from outer space,", said George flatly.

"Very funny, lads.".

"You might want to hold onto your hat, mate,", said John, preparing to open the blue doors.

"I'm not wearing a hat,", said Paul, now beginning to get exasperated with the peculiar way that everyone seemed to behave.

"Well, you'd better had find something to hold onto,", John added.

"What are you all on abou-".

The doors were open.

"Go on then,", said the Doctor.

Paul was standing with his mouth wide open, and with a gentle push from George, he was inside.

"Holy mother of-".

"Oi! No swearing,", interrupted the Doctor.

"It's... This isn't a police box,", Paul breathed.

"No. It's not,", said Rose.

"But. It's-".

"Bigger on the inside. Right you are, son,", finished John.

Rose was now guessing that the Doctor had done a lot of explaining to the other two while she had been gone.

"Oh, come off it, Lennon, that's always my favorite bit! When they say it's bigger on the inside!", exclaimed the Doctor in mock-exasperation.

"But what is it?", Paul asked.

"It's a spaceship. And a time machine. And it's going to give us a holiday,", said Ringo.

"Don't be daft, Ringo. This is some kind of scam. It has to be. It's a con! A trick!", said Paul, now back outside the TARDIS, tracing the perimeter, touching the outer walls to make sure they were real (as was the common reaction to the TARDIS' interdimensional existence).

John quietly escorted him back inside the craft.

"It's not real, none of it," Paul said, stepping up to face the Doctor squarely. "It can't be.".

"Well then, McCartney, we'll prove you wrong then, won't we?", said the Doctor, turning dials and knobs, preparing for takeoff. Then he pulled a lever, and they were tumbling roughly through the time vortex. The Beatles were clinging to whatever they could find, and John was whooping and hollering gleefully.

Then the groaning sound sounded, and all was still.

The boys just continued to cling to various parts of the TARDIS, as if they weren't sure whether they should let go just yet.

"Well come on, then,", said the Doctor, starting to head out, dawning his long trenchcoat.

"Come on,", said Rose, taking Ringo and Paul (who was trembling slightly) by the hands and dragging them out.

Outside was a busy street. There were people and cars, and it was nighttime. Across the street was what looked like a theater, or a club, or something.

"Crackers. It can properly travel,", said John.

"Hamburg,", said George.

"Bloody hell,", mumbled Ringo.

"And look who's headlining at the Star-Club,", said The Doctor, pointing at the billboard over the door.

"Durchführen heute Abend: DIE BEATLES!".

"Either someone has dared to steal our name or... we've actually traveled in time,", said Paul, who was now completely winded.

"You okay, mate?", asked Ringo.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm great. I'm, uh,", Paul trailed off. He became weak in the knees, and started falling.

"Whoa, there,", said the Doctor catching him by shoulder as John held him up by the other arm.

"I... I think I need to sit down,", said Paul, starting to stagger back into the TARDIS. Rose steadied him until he could make it to a chair.

"Well, then,", said the Doctor, sly satisfaction on his face, "Now that we've proved to you that it really does work, where do we want to go?".

"I don't know about you lot, but I want to see outer space!", exclaimed John, hop-skipping giddily back into the magic blue box.

"Outer space it is then!", said the Doctor, flipping a few knobs and turning dials on the console.

"You all right, Paul?", Rose asked as she sat down next to the young man who was still in disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah, brilliant,", he said shakily, flashing a rather feeble smile to the blonde, trying to keep his masculine dignity intact.

"Here. It might help,", turned the Doctor, handing Paul a folded-up brown paper sack.

"Thanks... But what am I supposed to do with it?", asked Paul.

"Breathe into it,", said Rose, unfolding it for him.

So as Paul was trying to breathe into a bag, the Doctor was setting their destination for 6457 on a planet called Jude. Yes, he too was succumbing to the temptation of making Fab Four ironic jokes.

"Are you ready?", asked the Doctor, looking at all the eager faces staring back into his.

"Yes!", they all seemed to shout in unison.

The Doctor pulled a lever, and they were off once again.

All of the Beatles seemed be be getting a bit giddy (John more than the rest), and even Paul (who was clinging to both Rose's hands with white knuckles) was beginning to smile and get the hang of it.

The ride was longer this time, lasting about an extra 45 seconds, and the craft was violently tumbling from side to side. The Doctor kept cranking a lever and pumping a valve, trying to keep it going.

Then all was still, and they materialized.

"Say, why does it make that noise?", Paul asked Rose.

"What noise?".

"That noise. You know. The wheezing, groaning noise.".

"Oh. I don't know, really. I asked the Doctor once, and he said it was the breaks grinding.".

"Ought to have that looked at,", mumbled Paul, looking away. Rose suppressed a smile.

"All right, then lads and lady,", said the Doctor, "We've arrived.".

"Where?", asked George.

"Deep space.".

Rose thought she heard all four of them take a little breath.

"Well, come on then! Don't just stand there! We've got a lot of exploring to do!", exclaimed the Doctor, giving Ringo and George a few friendly nudges towards the door. John needed no further invitation; he was already sprinting for the door.

Rose started to get up off the beat-up bench seat (obviously ripped from a junkyard car), and Paul followed.

"You ready?", she asked.

"Sure,", he said, trying to sound more sure than he in fact was.

"It'll be fun,", said Rose, grinning. Paul couldn't help but smile back.

Paul offered her his arm. Rose was rather taken aback for a moment (no one had ever offered their arm to her besides the Doctor), but accepted it.

In a few quick seconds, they were all out the door.

And it wasn't Jude that they were on.

"Oh. I seem to have got my coordinates a bit wonky. Again.".

It was obviously a space craft. It had a decidedly tubular structure, and it had windows lining the sides, a lot like a passenger jet of the 21st (or 20th) century, looking out into space, of course (a view that the Doctor and Rose were quite used to), but the thing that really stood out to all of them; the whole structure was painted yellow. Bright, lemon yellow. It almost hurt Rose's eyes. Wait... It did hurt her eyes.

The whole craft was seemingly empty (except for the friendly little blue box, of course).

The Beatles immediately pressed up against the windows, and Rose, who was still on Paul's arm, was also pulled up to look at the admittedly spectacular view; millions of stars, burning bright, some so close that you could see the gases whirling around in streaks, some so far away that you could barely see them; all displayed on an endlessly black backdrop. And in the distance, a purple planet loomed in the sky.

"Gentlemen... Say hello to the universe,", said Rose.

"Crikey,", mumbled Paul.

"It's... Big,", commented Ringo.

"Yes, quite,", agreed the Doctor. "And that,", he said, pointing at the purple planet, "would be Jude. My intended target.".

"I'd say you're off by a bit,", added George.

"Yeah... A bit,", he agreed, wincing a little.

"Funny, I call my little boy Jude sometimes,", commented John rather absent-mindedly.

Rose and the Doctor gave each other a glance, and they were both silently giggling behind their eyes.

"What's this?", asked Ringo, whom Rose was now aware of being further down the long, tubular chamber.

Rose started down the chamber, meaning to slip her arm off of Paul's, but he held on firmly. Rose smiled lightly at him, and they walked together down to where Ringo stood.

In front of him a long pole dangling from the ceiling, and at the end of it was what almost looked like binoculars.

"Looks like a periscope,", said the Doctor.

"A periscope? Why would anyone need a periscope in space?", laughed Ringo, fiddling with a few buttons on the side.

"Yeah, it's not like it's a submarine or something,", commented George.

"What would anyone want with a yellow submarine floating in space?", sniggered John.

Something now snapped in Rose's mind. She gave the Doctor a wide-eyed look, and he returned it.

"I dunno,", said the Doctor, examining the periscope apparent.

The Doctor started scanning it with his screwdriver, and putting on his glasses, started to look over the buttons and knobs on the side.

"What's 'e doing?", Paul whispered to Rose.

"He's... scanning,", said Rose, though she herself wasn't exactly certain of what he was doing.

"Yes, but what's that blue pen thing?", he mumbled back.

"It's a sonic screwdriver. It... Does space things,", said Rose, not wanting to go into detail.

"Oh. Right,", said Paul.

"Aha!", exclaimed the Doctor. "Now it all makes sense!".

"What?", asked Rose.

"This -", the Doctor said, tapping the periscope with his hand, "Is a pseudolinear vortex manipulator.".

"You what?", seemed to sound in resonance.

"It's... complicated. Basically, it's a fake time machine. It transports you into different time periods and locations, but it is only a simulator, not the real thing. It's a bit like a video game, but you're actually in it.".

"What's a video game?", asked George, furrowing his brow.

"It's something from the future,", said the Doctor.

"Okay.".

Rose thought that the boys were now just learning to accept every piece of impossible information that she and the Doctor kept spouting.

"So how does it work? Why would they need this here, in an abandoned space ship?", Rose asked, now crouching down to examine it herself.

"Because this, Miss Tyler, is a Time Agent's training facility. Or it was. Can't imagine why they just packed up and left it,", said the Doctor, looking around the craft.

"So what, the time agents are trained in a place like this?", Rose asked.

"Yeah. At least they were in this era. In 7859 they switched to a telepathic simulator. This is like... a vintage gem,", said the Doctor, now in his science-y geek-out mode. He looked it over with his glasses. "But anyhow, the time agents are trained to react to all sorts of threats throughout time. Some threats aren't those that you would expect.".

"Like what?".

"Anything that the Time Agent leaders can think of. Which sometimes can get quite ugly...", said the Doctor.

"What do you mean?".

"Oh, most of the time the courses were two tons of fun so as to attract new recruits. They were quite desperate for newbies in this era. So this one should be quite safe. Fancy a spin?", said the Doctor, patting the periscope.

"How does it work?", asked Ringo starting to look into the headpiece.

*Ding* Welcome to the Time Agent's Recruiting Facility. What is your name, please?

Ringo nearly fell back from the device. His face turned rather white.

"Does she mean me?", he asked, turning back to the Doctor.

"Yeah. On you go,", prodded the Doctor.

"Ringo Starr,", he said rather uneasily.

Searching...

We have in our records no one by the name of - 'Ringo Starr'.

The machine repeated Ringo's name back as a recording of his own voice.

Ringo sighed a little and rolled his eyes.

"Richard Starkey,", he resigned.

The other boys laughed a little.

Searching...

RICHARD STARKEY of LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM, EARTH, MILKYWAY GALAXY. Born JULY 7th, 1940 A.D. Is this correct?

"Yes,", said Ringo, a little amazed. He turned to the Doctor, "How did it...?".

"There's also a brain scanner built into that little fixture,", added the Doctor. "Fills in the gaps.".

If Ringo wasn't white before...

RICHARD (preferred title 'RINGO'), your initial training will start - now.

*ZAP!*

Ringo was gone.

"Where did he go?!", asked John.

"He started his training. We'll follow in two ticks,", said the Doctor, fiddling with his screwdriver.

In a moment, he stuck it against the 'periscope lense', and in a flash of white light, the remaining five travelers were no longer in a yellow submarine.


	5. Chapter 5

There were many an 'oaf' and 'ugh' when the rest of the gang landed, jostling eachother. It might not have been that way if they hand't found themselves in such close quarters.

All six of them were clustered in a pitch black, tiny space.

Rose started feeling around herself. On her left was something cold and smooth. She started to reach above her head, but before she had extended her arms completely, her hands smacked into the ceiling.

Then she heard a crash, and sensed movement only inches away.

"Ringo, you clumsy oaf!", exclaimed Paul.

"Sorry!", cried Ringo.

"No, no, no, it's my fault,", said the Doctor.

"What happened?".

"Ringo tripped over my shoelace and fell over Paul, that's all,", said the Doctor.

"Anybody got a match?", asked George.

"I do,", said John, feeling in his inside jacket pocket (and inadvertanly jabbing George in the shoulder in the process).

In a moment, there was a dim flickering light held in John's hand, and he held it up, illuminating the tiny space.

There were large ceramic tiles making up the walls and the floor, and the ceiling was low. In the back of the space, there were brooms, a mop and bucket, and a vacuum cleaner.

"This seems a bit familiar,", said John.

Rose looked to the opposite side of the room, and pushing past George and John, found a doorknob. She was about to sigh with relief - until she found that it was locked. She tried to twist the knob over and over again, and jimmied and jammed it frustratedly.

"Come now, let's see,", said John, handing the match to Paul and nudging her out of the way so he could try. He too tried in vain.

"No use. It's locked from the outside,", sighed Rose. Then her eyes lit up. "Doctor! Sonic it!", she exclaimed.

"It doesn't do wood,", said the Doctor a bit softly, obviously a little embarrassed.

"It doesn't unlock wooden doors? That's a bit rubbish,", remarked Paul, handing the match back to John.

The Doctor rolled his eyes a bit.

"Wait,", said Rose, her eyes catching sight of something silver near the ceiling glinting gently in the light of John's match.

"What?".

"Doctor, give me your screwdriver,", she said.

Rose scooted across the tiny space and took the mop out of the bucket. Now, turning the bucket upside down, she climbed on top of it to come face to face with an air conditioning vent, only about 2 feet squared in size.

The Doctor handed over his screwdriver, and Rose proceeded to sonic the screws out of the plating. In less than 20 seconds, the plate fell free. She handed it down to the Doctor along with his screwdriver.

All four of the lads gave the Doctor a look that clearly meant "that's some girl", and the Doctor just gave them a nod and a rather proud grin.

Rose tried to pull herself up by gripping the perimeter of the vent, but couldn't quite make it.

"Could somebody give me a boost?".

George and Paul immediately stepped up and each took a tennis shoe, and in a second, Rose was completely inside the vent from the knees up.

"How does it look up there?", called the Doctor.

"It looks... Like an air vent.".

It was like any other vent; lined on both sides with shiny metal plating. It was dark ahead, but further into the distance, Rose thought she could see the vent turn a corner, and there was very faint light coming from around the bend.

"Come on up, then,", Rose shouted back down when she only heard silence from below.

Rose started dragging herself by the elbows down the vent to make room for the next person. She was glad that she had worn her white jacket to cover her elbows and jeans to cover her knees.

Suddenly, she heard a faint rasping, choking sound. She stopped.

"Was that you down there?", she called back.

"What do you mean?", called back the Doctor.

"I... uh, it was probably just the central unit coming on. Nothing,", she said, crawling on.

In a few minutes, all six of the crew were inside the vent, crawling along on their hands and knees; Rose in the lead, Paul behind her, George behind him, then John, then Ringo, and the Doctor bringing up the rear.

They scooted along until Rose turned the corner that she had seen earlier. She stopped abruptly. Paul grunted as his head collided with the bottom of Rose's shoe.

"Sorry,", she mumbled.

"No, it's all right,", he retorted.

Rose had stopped because she was now peering down through the source of the light; another vent. The grating was too small for her to see into the room below.

"Doctor!", she called back. "Screwdriver!".

It took a while to get the screwdriver passed up to where Rose was, but eventually she got it, and she proceeded to sonic the grate.

Just when she was finishing, she heard the Doctor shout up, "And set the magnetism settings to 'on'!", but it was too late.

*CRASH!*.

The grate came loose, all right. It came crashing down onto the floor of the room below.

Rose groaned slightly.

"I'm going down,", she said, tucking the screwdriver into her pocket.

She crawled over the opening (which was smaller than the one before), and then, backing up, started to drop her feet through the opening.

"Careful, love,", said George as Rose was lowering herself by the arms.

As she got lower, she came to realize what kind of a room she was in.

A bathroom. A public restroom, if you want to get technical about it.

Rose had found herself in yet another tiny space; a stall.

Her arms were aching, so she decided to release the tiny vent, and - oh.

*SPLASH!*

"Damn!", Rose rasped accidentally through her teeth.

"What?", called Paul.

"My foot found the loo, if anyone needs it.".

Rose then heard a few snickers from above that were quickly stifled.

Rose found the door to the stall, and emerged out into a larger space (which was quite a relief after 3 successive tight spaces), lined with mirrors and sinks. As soon as her eyes caught sight of the exit, she rushed over and started tugging on the door. It too was locked from the outside (and if Rose would have been on the other side of that door, she would have seen the sign 'Sorry: Out of Order').

"It's locked!", she shouted back to the boys.

"Sonic it!" shouted the Doctor, but all Rose could hear was a muffled cry.

"What?!", she shouted back.

"He says to sonic it!", shouted Paul down out of the grate.

"It's wood!", Rose cursed, and she gave the wooden door a hard boot with the shoe that wasn't sopping wet (which hurt her more than the door).

"Let me down there,", said the Doctor (who knew that Rose's knowledge of the screwdriver was limited to what he had taught her one day in the TARDIS). "Everybody down!".

In a few moments, there were four Beatles and a Doctor on the ground in the restroom (and a Ringo with a sopping wet loafer to match Rose's).

"There's got to be a way out of here,", Rose said, now sitting on the floor as the Doctor looked around the room for a solution after retrieving the screwdriver from his companion. The Beatles sat beside her, lined up against the closed doors to the stalls.

After a few minutes of sitting, Paul started fishing in his pockets, Rose automatically assumed for a cigarette.

"It's not polite to smoke in front of ladies, Paul,", scolded George in jest.

"Who says I'm smoking?", said Paul. He found a peppermint in his left trouser pocket. He offered it to Rose, holding it out towards her. Rose smiled a little.

"Thanks,", she said, unwrapping it and popping it in her mouth.

"Gee, Paulie, why didn't you give me your peppermint?", teased John in a silly girlish voice, batting his eyelashes at his bandmate.

Paul scoffed, and shoved John playfully to the side.

"So Rose, do you like music?", John proceeded.

"Sure, love it,", said Rose.

"What kinds?", asked Paul.

"All kinds. Yours, especially,", Rose said. John smiled modestly and thanked her, and Paul blushed a little.

"So what kind of music is there in 2006?", John asked.

"Oh, a lot of the same sort of stuff, but... I probably shouldn't tell you. Spoilers,", she said, giving a coy half-smile.

"'Spoilers'. I like that word,", said John.

So as Paul and John were begging her to tell the future of the music industry, George and Ringo were having their own conversation.

"Here we go again,", mumbled Ringo.

"Whad'you mean?", George questioned.

"You almost get a girl, and she goes for Paul,", Ringo said.

"Oh, it's all all right, that. Paul doesn't mean for it to happen. It just goes that way sometimes,", said George, with a sweep of his hand.

"But don't you like her?", Ringo retorted, looking over at Rose, who was now laughing at something that John said and folding her curled blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, yeah, but I mean. *that*", George said, motioning between Rose and the Doctor, who was now pacing and fiddling with his screwdriver.

"What about it?".

"She likes 'im, doesn't she? I can tell. And I don't think she digs Paul as much as he digs her,", said George, looking over at them as Paul was trying to show Rose a coin trick he had learned (and getting it all wrong), and Rose was trying not to giggle.

"But good on 'im. It'll make the studio sessions move faster when 'e has half a dozen songs already polished up about her,", said Ringo, laughing. George laughed back.

"Anyway, I heard that there's a blonde in the group of models they hired for the film. I hear she's really something,", said Ringo, giving his friend a little wink.

"Hmm,", said George, rolling his eyes a little and giving Ringo a half grin. Ringo smiled.

"So what d'you make of this, then?", said George, changing the subject.

"What?".

"This outer space lot.".

"Oh. It's all right.".

"What d'you mean?".

"It's just all right. I mean, we could have crawled through an air conditioning vent and gotten locked in a loo at home,", said Ringo, laughing.

"But all that with a blonde,", George reminded, and both of them laughed.

"Yeah. And the view wasn't bad out into all those stars and things,", said Ringo, and both of them sobered, thinking of the beauty.

"Now that wasn't bad, that,", said George, scratching his chin thoughtfully as his eyes became vague.

"I don't know about you, but I'm still wondering if this is real,", said Ringo.

"Yeah. Me too,", said George. "It all happened so fast.".

"Yeah. But good stuff happens fast sometimes, I guess.".

"Yeah.".

"AH!", the Doctor suddenly shouted, staring wide-eyed at his screwdriver which he held in front of his face.

"What?", Rose asked, hope in her voice.

"I'm Stupid! STUPID!", shouted the Doctor, now walking in circles and running his hands through his hair, ruffling it up.

"What?!", Rose persisted.

"See that window?", said the Doctor, pointing to the frosted window on the opposite side of the room to the door.

"Yeah. It's locked, by the way. And the pane is wood,", said Rose, settling back down into disappointment.

"Ah! But my dear Rose, you forget - ", he said giving his screwdriver a little buzz, "I have a sonic screwdriver.".

"That doesn't open wooden things.".

"Ah, nevermind, just get in the stalls, the lot of you,", said the Doctor with a sweep of his hand.

"You what?", said Ringo.

"Pick a stall. Close the door good and tight,", said the Doctor.

No one said a word as they each picked a stall.

"What's 'e doing?", Paul asked, furrowing his brow at the eccentric Doctor as he and Rose chose adjacent stalls.

"I think I know. Cover your ears,", said Rose.

She was inside the stall before he could say another word.

"Heads down, everyone!", shouted the Doctor.

Rose then heard the buzzing sound of the screwdriver, and it intensified , reverberating throughout the room. In the last couple seconds it got so loud that Rose covered her ears.

Then,

*CRASH!*

Rose was the first to emerge from the stall. She saw the Doctor sticking his head out the window that was now completely blown out. Outside, there was a grass lawn, now covered in a snow of frosted glass shards.

"That's good, then. You never know which way the glass is going to fly. Come on,", he said, beckoning the others to follow him in climbing out the window.

The Doctor put his hands on the window pane and hurtled over it, and Rose followed. Rose and the Doctor joined hands as they started to look around the grass lawn a little.

They were in a well-kept garden; flawlessly manicured, real grass, a flowerbed nearby. The Doctor smelled the air.

"Seems real,", he said. "Seems like Earth.". He sniffed the air again. "20th century Earth, to be exact. All artificial, of course.".

"I feel like I should know this building,", said the Doctor, now turning and looking the building they were just in up and down.

It was stark white, and seemed to be of a sort of 1700s-style home (a large home, albiet).

The Doctor pulled out his screwdiver once again and started to scan the buidling.

As he was doing that, the boys started climbing out of the window. As they were approaching, Rose looked down the lawn to see men several hundred feet away, coming around the corner of the house. They were all wearing black suits, and one was using what looked like a walky-talky. One man started to pull something out of a holster fastened to his belt.

It was a gun.

"Ahh...", said Rose.

"I really feel like I should know this place...", continued the Doctor.

"Uh...", said Rose, pointing to the men coming up the lawn towards them. The Doctor was still too wrapped up in his screwdriver and the architecture before him to take notice of her.

"I recognize the architecture very distinctly... It's... OH! How could I be so stupid! We're at the Executive Mansion! The White House!".

Rose's jaw dropped.

"Um, Doctor,", said John, nodding towards the men with guns, still a distance away.

"Oh.".

"Should we just wait for them to incarcerate us, or should we...?", asked Rose, starting to meander back towards the window.

"Yeah, I'm liking option Two,", said Paul, he and Rose now making back for the broken window.

"Ok,", said Rose. She hurtled back in the window as fast as ever she could, and she was promply followed by her companions.

Just as the Doctor made a graceful leap back in the window, he got his long coat caught on broken glass still protruding from the frame. He tugged and tugged on it, but it was firmly snagged.

Just then, Rose heard a gunshot.

"Oh, no.".

She rushed back for the Doctor, and trying to help him, started tugging on his coat.

"Come on, Rose!", said George, grabbing her arm.

"But what about the Doctor?!", she wailed.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. These things have 3 hour cut-offs, we'll all be sent to the next setting no matter our location. I'll see you in that time,", the Doctor tried to reassure her.

There was another gunshot, and Rose was still standing and staring.

"GO!", shouted the Doctor.

Rose still couldn't find movement in her legs.

"Come on,", said George, pulling Rose back into the stall where the other boys were already climbing back up into the vent.

Rose seemed to be moderately reassured, but still struggled against George's grip.

When it was her turn to go back up into the vent, John grabbed her hands from above and pulled her, and George boosted her feet. Rose looked back at the Doctor who was still struggling with his coat. Finally, it ripped. Rose nearly heaved a sigh of relief.

"Come on, Doctor!", she shouted.

But he just gave her a look, and the next thing she knew, he was running out onto the lawn and out of sight to divert attention away from his companions.

"NO!", she shouted, and started struggling once again. But John held firm and pulled her all the way up.

As George was pulled inside and placing the grate back over the opening, there was another gunshot. Rose felt her heart drop into her stomach.

There was a moment of silence.

"We've got to help him,", said Rose.

"He's fine, we'll all be all right. They couldn't shoot him on sight, anyhow. It wouldn't be right. And you know Americans, with all their laws,", said Paul, trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, it'll all be fine,", said George reassuringly.

"Why don't we move on along, and maybe we can find a way out of here?", proposed Ringo.

"No, we have to stay in here. They'll be looking for us since they saw us outside,", said John, assuming the lead.

They proceeded to crawl along the ventway for several minutes without even the vaguest sign of another vent.

Eventually, Rose, who was behind Paul but in front of George, just stopped, exhausted and distraught.

"Why don't we just stop for a bit...", she said, sitting down (there was just enough room for her to sit with her legs folded and bowing her head a little). It was pitch black, so she could only hear what the boys were doing.

"She's right. Let's have a bit of a rest,", said George, plopping down beside Rose, having to bow his head and scrunch his legs even more than she had to.

Several moments of silence ensued.

"I wonder where he is now,", said Rose. The boys didn't need to see her face to know that she was very upset.

"He's fine, love,", said George.

"How can you be sure?", Rose shot back.

"Because, he seems to be a pretty smooth character, the Doctor. I think he could keep them talking for the whole 3 hours,", said Paul, trying to get her to laugh.

"Yeah, that he could do,", said Rose, and all the boys could sense she was smiling a little.

"So,", said John from a little up the way, "how did you two first meet?".

Rose bit her lip, and laughed a little.

"Well... the department store where I worked was about to blow up, and... I guess that's how we met. It was after closing time, and I was on my way home... He didn't even know my name at first, he just grabbed my hand and told me to run. And I'll never forget it,", Rose was smiling wide by now, and the boys were smiling back. "He asked me what my name was, and I told him, and he said 'Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life'.".

"So this is always what his life has been like? Danger, and all that lark?", asked George.

"Yeah. I guess. He's over 900 years old, you know,", said Rose.

There was total silence.

"You what?", said Paul, finally.

"Yeah. I guess you might as well know, he can't die. When his body is hurt, or it wears out, his species, they're called Time Lords, by the way, they just regenerate into a new body.".

"Holy crackers,", said John.

"So he'll be young forever?", asked Ringo.

"Well, not really. But he has had a very long life. I remember how I reacted when he told me how old he was,", said Rose.

Paul cleared his throat. "How?".

"I told him it was a hell of an age gap,", she said, remembering fondly.

"How old are you, Rose?", asked John.

"I'm 19,", she said, wondering why he was asking.

"That's not too bad. Not too bad at all,", said John in mock-thought.

"What are you on about? That's over eight hundred and eighty years!", said Rose.

"No, between you and Paul.".

There was silence, and Rose tried to fight an embarrassed smile, and started chewing on her lip. It was a good thing that it was dark, because she would have seen Paul's ears burning if it weren't.

"This is totally daft,", said Ringo suddenly.

"What?", said Rose.

"One minute, I'm living a relatively normal life, going on about my working business, and the next thing I know, I'm swept off to outer space with a blonde and a man in a pinstriped suit, and then I'm trapped inside the cooling and heating system of the White House with the lads and you. Daft.".

All of a sudden, John started laughing, and before they knew it, they were all cackling at the utter ridiculousness of the situation.

When the laughter finally settled down, Rose sighed. Her neck was getting very tense, and it was cramping up. She tried to lay her head over on her shoulder, but it hit something else first. She realized it was Paul's shoulder.

"Sorry, do you mind? My neck is getting really tired,", she said, trying not to let the embarrassment show in her voice.

"Only if you don't mind,", he said, placing his head on top of hers.

Rose's cheeks were absolutely on fire.

"N-no, not at all,", she managed to spit out.

Several moments of silence ensued. Paul waited to be teased by John, but no one spoke.

"You know what I wish for?", said Ringo, finally.

"What?".

"Food.".

"Me too,", said George.

"Me three,", said John.

"Me four,", said Paul.

"But we might as well come off it because we're not going to get any here,", said Ringo.

"He's right,", said Rose.

More silence.

"Do you know what I like about you, Rose?", asked George.

"What?", she said, lifting her head and turning towards him.

"We've all been with you and the Doctor for a while now and you haven't asked us once to sing or entertain you.".

Rose smiled. "Well, our job was to entertain you for today. But we rather screwed that up. And now we're in a vent.".

"I actually felt like that bloke in the film that we saw that one time, lads,", said George.

"Who's that?".

"James Bond. Jumping through broken out windows, running from men with guns, and all that. I think we've been entertained".

"That's good,", said Rose.

Several more moments of silence reigned, and Rose rested her head again, as her neck was cramping too badly to try to hold it up.

"You know what I think we ought to do?", asked George.

"What?".

"Sing.".

"I thought you just said you were glad that you didn't have to sing!", said Rose, smiling over at him.

"Well now I'm bored.".

"I agree,", said Ringo.

"Me too,", said John.

"All right, what are we going to sing?", asked Ringo.

"Something with a girl's part,", said Paul.

"All right, something with a girl's part,", said Ringo, thoughtfully.

"I can't sing!", exclaimed Rose.

"Of course you can. You've got lungs, don't you?", said John.

"Sure,", said Rose.

Silence.

"I can't think of any songs with a girl's part,", said George finally.

"Nor can I,", said Ringo.

"I can,", said Rose.

"What is it?", asked Paul.

"Did you ever hear the song 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off'? It's from 'Shall We Dance'.".

"You mean people still watch that stuff in the 21st century? That's pretty bloody old now,", laughed John.

"Oh, yes,", said Rose.

"Crackers.".

"But do you know the song?", Rose persisted.

"I do. My mum used to sing it,", chimed in George.

"Ok,", said Rose.

George cleared his throat.

"2, 3, 4,", started Paul.

"Things have come to a pretty pass, our romance is growing flat, 'cause you like this and the other, while I go for this and that. Goodness knows what the end will be, oh, I don't know where I'm at, it's plain to see we two will never make one. Something must be done...", sang George.

George went on with the ridiculous 'tomatoes' and 'tomahtoes', and "Oh, if we ever part then that might break my heart".

As Rose proceeded with "Laughters" and "Loffters" , the whole group started to laugh.

Before it was all over, Rose and George had linked hands and were swinging from side to side to the beat provided by Ringo.

When it was all over, John said, "You two have gone completely potty" (even though he had joined in a bit here and there and was enjoying it), and they were all giggling. (If they had been the security gaurd on duty in the room below, they too would have thought that the rats were having a heck of a party up in the rafters).

"You two will have to do that along with the tap dancing bit if we ever get out of here,", laughed Paul.

"Do any of you know 'Singin' in the Rain'?", asked Rose, who was starting to quite enjoy herself.

And so a couple of hours past; showtunes with the Beatles. In the middle of 'Cheek to Cheek' though, their little musical was interrupted by the same sounds that Rose had heard earlier; a choking, wheezing, groaning noise, and it definitely wasn't the TARDIS.

"What was that?", Rose interrupted.

"What?", asked George.

"Didn't you hear that?".

"Nope.".

"I did,", said Ringo.

"So did I,", added John.

"It was probably just the central unit coming on, like you said earlier,", dismissed Paul.

"I don't think so. Have any of you noticed,", said Rose slowly and quietly, "that not once has their been a blast of either cold or hot air through here? I think the central unit is off.".

"Then it was probably just a rat somewhere in the floorboards above or something,", said George.

The noise came again. This time it was followed by what sounded like someone hitting the sides of the vent a small distance away.

"Oh, my God, you don't think we've been found?", said Rose.

"No, we're all right, love,", reassured Paul. "It's probably just a rat, like George said.".

"I'm pretty sure that it was inside the vent.".

"Oh, come now,", said Paul. "Where do you want to pick up from?", he said, preparing to restart the song.

"I think we should be quiet for now,", said Rose, whispering more softly than before.

Rose had been travelling with the Doctor for a long time now, and she had a keen sense for danger. She could spot it a mile away.

Just then, the noise came again. It was closer. Now, it sounded like someone (or something) breathing, wheezing. Then, followed the sound that sounded somewhat like footsteps. Coming closer. And closer. The feet of the thing must have had terrible claws, for they whacked and slapped the metal with a loud clicking and clacking as it approached.

Rose barely dared to breathe, but since everyone was frozen in terror, she spoke quickly and softly; "Let's move.".

They boys obeyed without question, trying to crawl along quietly, but also quickly. It was very hard, and they weren't making as good of time as they would have liked. Rose heard the footsteps pick up their pace, too. It definitely wasn't a rat.

Just then, Rose decided to take a chance. She flipped over and sat down, and she started clawing inside George's jacket pockets.

"What are you doing?", he said, totally thrown.

Just then, Rose produced his cigarette lighter. She lit it up, and shined it back down the ventway.

Rose's breath hitched in her throat, and her stomach instantly felt like an empty void.

It was about 6 feet away, and she only caught a glimpse of inhuman eyes glinting in the light before what looked like an arm covered the face of the creature, shielding itself from the light.

"What the hell is that?", said George, fear rising in his voice.

Suddenly, four more eyes appeared behind the first creature, and the other two creatures made a terrible hissing noise.

Rose couldn't help but scream her next word; "RUN!".

Though they couldn't run. They couldn't hide. All they could do was crawl.

Rose pushed George to go in front of her, and he did without question.

The light from the cigarette lighter seemed to ward them off (whatever they were), so Rose crawled backwards, using her feet and one hand to scoot along, extending the lighter at them with the other hand. They hissed a little here and there, and they covered their eyes when Rose waved the small flame at them, but they kept coming.

Rose never got a clear view of them, but they looked somewhat like gargoyles. But they had no wings. They had very long claws for fingers and toes, and they seemed to have tails with spikes. That's what they whacked against the sides of the vent.

All of a sudden, Rose bumped into George. The line was at a standstill.

"What are you doing?! GO!", screamed Rose, as the creatures encroached upon her.

"I found a vent!", shouted Ringo.

"I think we can get it open!", added John.

"HURRY!", screamed Rose, now practically on top of George, still wriggling away from the creatures.

Rose could now hear very clearly the terrible sounds of their breathing; horrible, gutteral wheezing as they inhaled in unison; terrible, undescribable sounds as they exhaled.

Rose kept waving the cigarette lighter at them, closer and closer to them, until George finally restrained her when he saw that they weren't backing off anymore. Suddenly, the unthinkable happened.

The cigarette lighter went out.

In an instant, Rose felt the claws brushing the bottoms of her shoes.

She clicked the lighter frantically, trying to get it to reignite. But it wouldn't.

"LIGHT! GIVE ME A LIGHT, PAUL!", she shouted.

Paul's fingers fumbled into his pocket.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, GIVE ME A LIGHT!", screamed Rose as she felt the claws start digging into her ankles.

Paul finally retrieved a matchbook and lit one up. He immediately turned the match and set the entire book on fire. He tried to wave it at them, but it did no good. All he saw was a foot (or paw) with absolutely ghastly claws start pawing at Rose's ankles, cutting all the way through her jeans.

He ground his teeth, feeling helpless for a half a second until he thought of something.

Paul took a leap of faith. He threw the entire matchbook at the creature.

The creature let out a terrible howl as it burnt into it's gray skin. But it wasn't like any typical burn. It kept burning, and kept burning, until the whole creature went up in flames. It burnt almost like paper, as Paul would later recall.

The other creatures were also yelping as they felt the heat of the flame.

"I've got it!", shouted Ringo, and with a clatter, the grate fell, and the 5 companions were very hastily making their way out and down into a room.

Ringo, John, and Paul all took a hasty jump down and out of the shaft, but George had a harder time of it. He was dragging Rose along as well as himself.

"Lads! Catch!", he shouted down, as he started to let Rose's feet down.

George was in quite a hurry (as anyone would be when making a getaway from terrible beasts of unknown identity), so he let her down quite suddenly. John and Ringo had her legs, but the rest of her tumbled down quite quickly, and she rather fell down and onto Paul, who was trying to catch her. George was in the room within seconds, and they were safe.

As soon as they all had their wits, their attentions were focused on Rose, who was now sitting on the carpeted floor, rolling up her jeans to examine her wounds.

"Oh, no,", said George, who was watching.

Her wounds weren't terribly severe, but they were significant. They weren't bleeding except for in a couple places.

Rose tried to make herself touch one of them, and expected pain. But there was no pain at all.

"Does it hurt?", asked John.

"No,", said Rose, furrowing her brow.

She decided to press harder. Still no pain. She ran her fingers through the blood in one of the gashes, and brought her hand back. There was no blood on her hand.

"All right, that's weird,", said Rose.

"I bet I know why,", said George.

"Why?".

"This isn't real. This is only the, erm, 'video game'. You can't really bleed or get hurt.".

"That's right, I'll bet,", said Rose. "Because it's not real. We're all just in a state of suspended animation.".

Rose paused for a moment before realizing...

"OH! Do you know what this means?", she said, getting excited.

"What?".

"That the Doctor couldn't have been hurt either!", said Rose, sighing a sigh of relief and beaming ear to ear.

"That's wonderful,", agreed the rest fervently.

"See, love? You were worried for nothing,", said George kindly. Rose gave him a warm smile.

"So I don't know if I should ask,", started Ringo, "But why on Earth are there paper mache monsters in the vents of the White House?".

"There aren't,", said Rose. "This isn't real. I'll bet since the computer program saw that we weren't in any kind of danger, we were not being 'trained', so it conjured up some trouble for us to get into.".

"That's pretty heavy,", said Paul.

Suddenly, with a flash of light, Ringo was gone.

"What's happening? Where did he go?", asked George.

"He went on to the next training level. We'll follow,", said Rose, who barely had the words out of her mouth before they too were transported.


	6. Chapter 6

The next thing any of them knew, they were in the middle of an expansive plain, with rather spinly trees sprinkled here and there, patchy, sparse tan-colored grass blowing here and there. The dirt was rather sandy, and it was about the reddest soil Rose had ever seen. But they were outside. In the wide open spaces. It was nearly a shock to all of their systems.

Rose immediately took a very long breath, sucking in as much fresh air as she could. It felt wonderful.

"Where the he-", John was interrupted.

"DOCTOR!", Rose screamed, and by the time the boys looked, Rose was waving her arms wildly while sprinting across the plain towards a distant figure in a brown suit.

He saw her, and immediately started running towards her. The two met in the middle, and Rose immediately attacked him with a hug, and the Doctor returned the gesture.

In a few moments, the boys had trotted up to the meet the time lord.

"G'day, mates!", said the Doctor laughing a little to himself.

"Just where did you get off to?", teased George.

"Oh, I had a little chat with some CIA agents, and it was all good fun, of course, but I much prefer this,", said the Doctor, extending his arms and and taking a long, deep breath through his nose. "HA!", he exhaled contentedly.

"So where exactly are we now?", asked Ringo.

"Oh, couldn't you tell from my little accent I pulled just then?", laughed the Doctor. "We're in Australia, mates! The bush! Or really, a virtual duplicate of it.".

"Oh.".

"What do you mean 'oh'?", questioned the Doctor. "This is brilliant! I whole ton better than a broom closet followed by a vent!".

"I don't suppose there's any food 'round here, then?", asked Ringo.

"Nope. Not unless you're hungry for native insects or slow-roasted frog on a spit, that is if you can catch any of the above with your bare hands,", said the Doctor, knowing that would get a charge out of the boys.

"I think I'm going to pass on that one,", said Ringo.

The Doctor laughed a little and stuck out his tongue goofily.

"So... What do we do now?", asked Rose, looking around.

"We have an adventure!", exclaimed the Doctor. "And I think...", said the Doctor, trailing off, sniffing the air. "I'm pretty sure that we're reasonably close to the coast.".

"The coast? Doesn't look very beachy round here to me,", said Paul, squinting against the sun.

"Well... We're actually about 3 hours walk from it. We're near the north coast, where the tropical region nearest the ocean is quite thin.".

"How can you tell all this?", asked John, a bit amazed.

"I can smell it and taste it in the air.".

"All right, then.".

"So how do we get there, the beach?", asked Rose.

"We walk in a general...", the Doctor trailed off once again, surveying their surroundings and waving his pointed finger around until he found the right direction, "That way direction. And be ready for some excitement. We will have to walk some miles through the rainforest, where there are poisonous everythings. Good thing none of us are afraid of snakes, eh?", he laughed.

Rose gulped.

So in a couple of minutes, Rose, the Doctor, and the four lads were all trudging across the bush country. There were no roads; nothing but the great and endless expanse of scrubby brush on the ground and thin, short trees. And it was hot. Really, really, really... Hot.

The Doctor was carrying his trenchcoat and suit by now. Rose had shed her jacket down to her pink t-shirt, and the boys had all long ago started carrying their suits over their shoulders. Paul had tugged on his tie until it was just hanging around his neck like a necklace, and John had taken his off completely. Ringo had unbuttoned his collar a little, and George was preparing to roll his sleeves up. It had to be 40 degrees Celsius. At least.

"A bit warm, this,", George said to Rose.

"Yeah, a bit,", she said. She was now sweating so much that she could feel the moisture dripping down her back (which was quite uncomfortable).

"Australia in January. It doesn't get any bloody hotter than this,", said the Doctor, as he mopped his face with his unbuttoned cuff.

"I don't think I've ever been this hot in my life,", panted Ringo.

"Amen,", agreed Paul.

"Come on, fellas, we're getting in shape to run from the screamies, aren't we?", said John, trying to lighten the mood, but he may have been sweating more than any of them. "And besides, we're getting precooked for the spiders and snakes,", he added, snickering a little.

Paul walked up closer beside Rose. "How's your ankles?".

Oddly enough, Rose had forgotten all about her scratches. She looked down at her rolled-up jeans, and to her surprise, her jeans were still rolled up, but they weren't ripped anymore. And her legs weren't even scratched nor scarred!

"It looks like they're all better!", she exclaimed.

"What happened?", asked the Doctor.

"Oh... Nothing, Doctor,", Rose said, not wanting to worry him.

"It's something, what is it?", he asked, stopping and turning back to his companions.

"I just, um,", Rose stammered.

"We met up with some ghastly beasts in the vents while you were away, and they scratched up Rose's legs a bit, but it's all all right now. I guess the wounds were never really real, because this isn't really the real thing, I guess,", said Paul.

"Oh, of course! Even if it were possible to suffer real injuries in suspended animation, which it isn't, the recruiters couldn't have all kinds of kids carrying their injuries over from one round to the next! They'd be the walking wounded. You lot have got off very well, all things considered,", said the Doctor.

They continued walking. And walking. And the scenery didn't change an inch.

"Are you sure we're not going in circles?", asked Rose, who was now so hot and thirsty she thought she may faint.

"No,", panted the Doctor, "We're going straight. We should be there within a little bit.".

"I... I feel like we're not getting anywhere. And it's just getting hotter,", said Rose, whose steps were getting slower.

Before Rose could even realize what was going on, Paul came up from behind her and picked her up and started carrying her.

"What are you doing?", asked Rose.

"I'm carrying you so you don't get tired out.".

"Yes, I know that. But I don't need you to carry me.".

"Why not?".

"Because you'll get even hotter and more tired out and then I'll be the one carrying you.".

Paul simply ignored her.

Rose only let herself be carted around for a couple of minutes.

"Ok, now let me down,", she said, and Paul complied without argument, because now his brow was completely drenched.

Now, before Rose could even take two steps on her own, she was lifted off the ground yet again.

"Now, this is completely unnecessary,", she protested when she turned around to see that her current captor was George.

He just laughed.

"Come on, you're the only girl round here, who else have we got to treat nice?", he teased.

"You might be able to find a wombat or something like that round here,", said Rose, and they all laughed.

She only let George carry her for about ten feet before she insisted on being let down, and once again, she was let loose only to be recaptured. This time it was Ringo.

"Please, gentlemen,", she said with a laugh.

"Girls shouldn't have to walk miles across the plains with the sun beating down on them unassisted,", he teased.

"I've got two legs,", said Rose, trying to get down, "And I have barely been afforded the opportunity to walk miles!".

"All right,", resigned Ringo, and started to let her down, much to Rose's relief. But then he said hastily; "John! Catch!", and he tossed Rose over to John. Rose screamed in the split second that she was airborne, which made all the boys laugh.

"Hello, there,", John said after he caught her, looking her in the face.

"How d'you do, now let me down,", said Rose, still trying to sound firm, but her poorly suppressed smile gave it all away.

"Sure,", he said, pulling the same prank as Ringo before shouting "Doctor!", and tossing her to him.

The Doctor was laughing right along with them, and caught his companion skillfully.

"'Ello,", he said, grinning a grin.

"Hello,", said Rose, grinning back, finally resigning to the boy's game.

"I think we should almost be to the forest,", said the Doctor, looking ahead at a wall of dark green that the rest of the crew hadn't even noticed approaching.

"Oh, good. Shade,", said George hopefully.

"Ah, but you may not be so fond of the humidity,", added the Doctor. George deflated once again.

"Paul,", said the Doctor, as he tossed Rose back to her original carrier, but the young McCartney wasn't quite prepared for it. He caught the blonde, but lost his balance and both of them went toppling over into the red, sandy dirt.

Both Rose and Paul were laughing and giggling as soon as the pain of the impact wore off, which was quite quickly. Rose was laughing so hard that she could barely get her breath.

"Oh, come on, you lot,", said the Doctor good-naturedly. "Enough horseplay for now. We've got to get ourselves focused if we want to make it through the rainforest in time to make it to the beach.".

Paul stood up immediately, and extended a hand to pull Rose up, which she accepted. They were still brushing the dust off of themselves as they entered the dense forest.

Where the group of companions were now, it wasn't possible not to be sweating and praying for the desert once again. It was a dense tropical forest all right, but it was so humid that Rose felt like she was drinking rather than breathing the air. Rose and the lads were now moving along at a crawl. You had to search for at least 5 seconds for a place to put your foot down that wouldn't ensnare or trip your leg as you plodded along. The foliage was so thick that the ground itself was never visible in any one place. It was thick with leaves and vines that twisted and turned, all that together creating a very hazardous green carpet almost up to Rose's knees.

"So when you mentioned 'forest', I pictured a nice, shaded little walk through the palm trees,", said Rose to the Doctor.

"Yeah,", agreed Paul.

"How far to the beach?", asked Ringo.

"Oh, about an hour's walk,", said the Doctor, who was in the lead.

There were assorted grumbles from all human members of the party.

"What?! You wanted an adventure, didn't you, boys?", the Doctor cried.

"Yeah, might as well make the most of it,", agreed John.

They kept plodding along for several minutes, and Rose started to get hot. Really hot. She was searching her mind desperately for a way to cool down. Just then, she got an idea.

"What about climbing one of these trees?", she said, looking over at the rather large palmtree-looking tree directly off their path to her right.

"Climbing a tree?", asked Ringo, a little bit of laughter in his voice.

"When was the last time any of you climbed a tree?", she asked.

"Well, you and I both climbed a tree that one time when we were running from those Tevanpedatrillions,", said the Doctor to Rose.

"What in the world is a Tevanpedatrillion?", asked John.

"It's an alien with about a trillion legs. It's not famed for it's looks.".

"Oh.".

"But to answer Rose's question, it had to be school,", said George. "There was a big oak tree in the schoolyard there, and all us boys used to dare eachother to climb it all the way to the top. I never made it that far.".

"And what year were you in at the time, remind us?", taunted John.

George lowered his head and blushed slightly. "Eleven.".

Rose and the Doctor smiled.

"Youth is wonderful. Don't rush it away,", commented the Doctor.

"Remember that time you climbed that tree to hide from those girls that one time, Paul?", asked John, laughing. Paul blushed.

"They were quite rude,", he defended himself.

"That's because you had thrown rocks at them the day before, remember?", John teased.

"Anyhow, what about climbing this tree?", said Rose, trailing off the path over to look over the quite large tree trunk.

"I don't see why you want to,", laughed the Doctor.

"I want to see if there's a breeze up there,", Rose explained. This struck a chord, and wasn't a whole 30 seconds before the boys were practically falling over themselves to bring back the old tradition of tree-climbing.

Rose went first. And it was harder than she thought. There were no limbs sticking here and there like on the trees that Rose knew at home; just a big, thick trunk.

Rose clung to the tree trunk with her arms and legs and tried to shimmy up to the top. But it was much easier said than done. She tried pawing with her tennis shoes to try to push herself up, but that didn't work. She eventually ended up basically pulling herself up with her arms, which was quite hard and no less painful, but she was eventually at the top.

At the top, Rose pushed large leaves out of the way before popping her head out above the treeline. And it was sublime. A nice current of air sifted through her curled blonde hair, and the air was not nearly as stale and humid up there.

"GUYS!", she called back down. "You've got the get up here!".

Rose couldn't hear their replies, or even be sure if she had been heard before she spotted something on a leaf beside her.

A huge. Snake. Streched out, sunning on a large leaf. Not two feet away.

It was without a doubt in Rose's mind the biggest snake that she had ever seen in her life.

She didn't scream. Her breathing just came to a dead stop. Her whole body stopped. She didn't even dare to blink. It's head was facing her.

She gulped.

She started to get back down out of the tree, very slowly and carefully, but her foot slipped. She frantically grabbed as a reflex, shaking the leaf that the snake was on. She had steadied herself, but now the snake was alert.

It coiled. Rose was now frozen, completely unable to move.

It started to strike.

Rose got frantic and started to try to slide down the tree once again, but she wasn't fast enough. It bit the palm of her hand. She let go of the tree completely. She fell backwards, and soared through the air, screaming.

It was only a few seconds before she impacted on the ground with a tremendous thud, the leaves and tall green grass around her separating with a woosh.

"My God, Rose,", said Paul, immediately hurrying up to the rumpled body of Rose.

The Doctor flew to her side. "Rose? Can you hear me?".

"I... Ugh,", said Rose, trying to sit up.

"What happened?", asked the Doctor, trying to help her up.

"There was a snake,", said Rose, laughing lightly.

"It didn't bite you, did it?", asked the Doctor.

"Yes,", said Rose, showing her hand to them. On her palm were two very fresh puncture wounds, blood dribbling out of both.

"But it's okay,", she said. "I can't get hurt really while we're in this place.".

"The poison may affect you,", said the Doctor. "It's all artificial, of course, but it all depends on what the computer has set for side-effects.".

"Oh, brilliant,", said Rose sarcastically, standing up.

"You all right?", said John, looking at her peculiarly.

"Yeah. Why?".

"Well, you just fell out of a tree.".

"I, oddly enough, feel fine,", she said.

Just then, she felt a bit faint. She became a little unsteady on her legs.

"Rose?", said the Doctor, his brow furrowing with concern.

"I-".

Rose dropped to the ground in a faint.

"What's wrong with her?", said Ringo as they all dropped to their knees to try to help her.

"The side effects of the snake venom must be set to stun,", said the Doctor, giving her a quick once-over with his screwdriver.

"Well, what do we do?", asked Paul, pushing past the others to pick her up off the ground.

"There's nothing to do but wait for her to wake up, or for the three hours to be up. She's only sleeping. She's fine.".

"So do we get on to the beach?", asked George.

"We should. I don't like the idea of sticking round here and getting bitten,", said Ringo with a little shiver.

"On we go, then. We can take turns carrying her,", said John.

"I'm fine,", said Paul.

"You can't carry her 10 miles through the tropical rainforest by yourself,", said George, shaking his head at his friend.

"Ah, but we're all fools in love,", reminded John, always one to tease.

"We'll take turns,", said the Doctor firmly.

By the time twenty minutes had passed, every one of the boys had taken a turn carrying Rose, and they were so hot and thirsty that they all agreed that each of them could individually drain a river. The humidity had to be at least 90%. It was preposterous.

"Are you sure we're near the coast?", asked John, finally. "I think your hooter might be leading us the wrong way.".

"Nope, we're on track,", said the Doctor, pointing straight ahead.

The boys all groaned to themselves as they looked into the endless green abyss ahead.

Ringo had Rose at that time, and he was just getting ready to hand her over to the Doctor, when she started mumbling.

"Mum,", she mumbled.

"Doctor,", said Ringo, trotting up to his side, "She's talking.".

The Doctor stopped, and the other three boys immediately crowded up around them.

"What did she say?", asked Paul.

"'Mum',", said Ringo.

"You don't think she's sick?", asked Paul, his brow knitting.

"Oh, she's fine. She's just dreaming,", said the Doctor calmly.

"Mum, no, don't make me... you... you can't,", said Rose groggily.

"What d'you reckon her mum's making her do?", asked John, smiling fondly.

"I dunno, but she's a brave soul for defying her mother,", said the Doctor, laughing lightly.

"Oh?", laughed Paul, looking at the Doctor.

"Yeah. Jackie's rather like a mother bear when it comes to protecting Rose. I've gotten slapped once and threatened countless times,", said the Doctor, snickering a little under his breath.

"No, Mum, no, he needs me,", Rose slurred, tossing her head restlessly. "It's... but I've got to go b-back...".

"What's she talking about?", asked George.

"She's just dreaming,", said the Doctor, though he knew very well what she was talking about, and it touched him.

The Doctor started walking on, and the rest followed.

It seemed like it took an eternity, but the forest finally thinned a little, and they had reached the beach. It was wonderful - the Australian sand was burning, but the ocean breeze was the coolest thing the lads had felt in about 2 hours. As soon as the lads saw the open ocean ahead, they started out running, kicking off their shoes and unbuttoning their shirts before plunging in head-on, leaving the Doctor to tend to Rose.

Rose slept soundly, with no more talking to speak of, and no tossing her head about. The Doctor was confident that she was comfortable after he laid his jacket that he had been carrying down on the hot red sand for her to lay on.

Eventually, the temptation of the cool ocean water became too much for him. He kicked off his dirty white Converse and waded out into the water, the tide lapping at his pinstriped trousers. It felt heavenly.

The boys were only having fun out the in ocean for a few minutes before Rose started to wake up. At first, all Rose saw was the bright light of the sun burning up above her in her hazy vision. Then she became aware of sounds of the tide, washing up on the shore and then receding. It was so relaxing, she could have fallen back asleep easily, but she didn't. She rubbed her eyes a little, and started to sit up.

Ringo, being the closest to the shore, was the first to notice her awakening. He (almost reluctantly) waded up and out of the water to see how she was feeling. He made his way up through the hot sand on his bare feet rather gingerly.

"Doing all right, then, Sleeping Beauty?", he asked, squatting down to be at eye-level with her.

"Yeah,", she said, scratching her head a little. "Don't know what came over me. Felt fine, and then I was out like a light.".

"I know,", he said. "Want to come down to the water? It's quite nice.".

"Yeah,", agreed Rose, starting to rise.

As Ringo was helping her up, Rose noticed something rather alarming from back in the jungle. Painted, almost horrifying faces peeping from behind trees and leaves.

"Uh,", said Rose, pointing.

"What is it?", said Ringo, craning his neck around.

"I'm not sure,", said Rose, but then something even more alarming happened. When she looked back round, the faces were gone. Every single one of them.

"I don't see anything,", said Ringo.

"I did.".

"Wh-". Ringo didn't have the words out of his mouth before he felt something very fine prick the side of his neck, which very quickly turned into a sharp pain.

"What the he-", Ringo trailed off as he raised his hand only to feel what felt like a very tiny, sharp dart protruding out of the side of his neck. When he looked back over, Rose had one too.

"Oh, no,", groaned Rose.

Then all was black for Mr. Starr and Ms. Tyler for what felt like a long time.


	7. Chapter 7

When Rose and Ringo awoke, they were both very disoriented. That may have been partially due to the fact that they were hanging upside down by their arms and legs from a spit.

Once Ringo's vision cleared up, he started to try to get a visual on something besides the sky and the large branch looming directly above him.

They seemed to be in a camp of some sort. There were huts made out of woven grass and reeds all around them, and they seemed to be positioned in the center of the little village. There were people milling about (most of them with a shockingly minimalist taste in clothing), their bodies covered with wild painted designs.

Just then, Ringo felt a tingle in his nose. And it kept tingling. It intensified to a nearly unbearable sensation. He tried to stop it. He had no finger to put under his nose, so he held his breath until he thought he might turn blue, but it didn't stop the tingling. Ringo felt his mouth start to open against his own will.

*A-CHOO!*

In an instant, every single painted face had their eyes set on Ringo.

Ringo was fairly grateful that his bandmates hadn't been there, otherwise they would have been cursing his 'trombone hooter' (though that didn't mean he wasn't mentally cursing himself at that moment).

The people started talking amongst themselves in a very strange language, and Ringo just stared, wide-eyed.

Rose was frozen. She thought about playing dead, but she didn't think that would do her much good. She just sat still.

Just then, a native started to reach out to Ringo's face. Ringo shrunk back, swinging on the spit. The same thing was happening to Rose.

At that moment, something sitting over near on of the huts caught Rose's eye.

Drums. They were more like bongos, really, but they were drums.

"Ringo,", she hissed.

This shocked the natives, but it caught his attention.

"Hmm?", he said, his mouth pressed shut as he was trying in vain to keep a child-native from inspecting his nose.

"Show them something on the drums!".

"Are you potty?", he shot back.

"Just do it!".

"Begging your pardon, but I'm tied upside down to a spit!".

"So am I! Now do something to get us free!".

"But I don't even have my sticks!".

"Do it!", Rose commanded, which gave the natives a start.

Ringo gulped as he looked back into the faces of the natives, their dark eyes still scanning him.

"Uh...", he started.

"Uh...", one native tried to copy him. Ringo tried to not let this alarm him.

"Do you chaps play the drums?".

They just looked at him.

"Drums?", he tried again, trying to motion 'drums' with his hands that were sticking up above his bound wrists.

This unfortunately only brought attention to his rings. The natives were immediately captivated by their sparkle (which they hadn't noticed before), and started to reach out to his hands all at once. Ringo involuntarily let out a whine of dismay (he quite liked his rings and fancied keeping them), and this made them back off a bit.

"Drums!", he said more firmly, and started nodding his head wildly in the direction of the bongos.

It took several seconds, but they finally understood. They started smiling in realization of what he meant, and a couple of them started carrying their primitive drum set over to where Ringo was hanging. Ringo prodded them to play, and after a minute or so of trying to get them to understand, one young man finally did. And boy did he.

Ringo started to seriously wonder why parents of his fans back in his own world thought the Beatles' music so 'wild'. The native's rhythms were very fast and complicated, and the people who were standing around started dancing and throwing themselves about in a very helter-skelter fashion.

Ringo wished he weren't hanging upside down so he could get a more practical view of the boy's technique. Ringo thought that the rhythm would go on forever before they finally stopped.

When they finished, they just stopped and stared once again at their guests.

"Now let us play for you,", said Rose.

They obviously did not understand.

"Uh...", Rose stammered, trying to find a way to explain.

"RINGO,", she spoke loudly and slowly, nodding her head towards her companion. "DRUMS,", she said, now nodding her head towards the drums on the ground. She repeated this gesture a few times before the natives finally made a move to cut Ringo's bonds.

"Good,", said Rose, smiling and nodding slowly.

Once Ringo was released, Rose expected them to free her next. But they didn't. They sat Ringo down next to the drums, and he started to look them over.

"Ringo!", said Rose, frowning, still upside down. "My arms are going numb!".

"Oh,", he said. "Free my friend?", he asked slowly, motioning to Rose.

The natives made 'Ah' sounds, and they understood. In a moment, Rose was once again seeing the world from the correct angle.

Rose plopped down beside Ringo in the red dirt.

"Okay,", said Rose, trying to keep smiling at the natives (who were staring at them expectantly). "What do we do?".

"I've got it sorted,", said Ringo. "I need sticks, though.".

"Can't you play without?".

"I could try, but I think they would be disappointed. And I don't know what that would be like,", said Ringo, still trying to keep up a sunny smile.

Rose spotted sticks lying on the ground in a stack nearby. She started to get up. All the natives just watched as she made her way over to the pile of twigs.

She picked out two sturdy ones of appropriate length. The natives then started towards her, one brandishing a spear made of sharpened wood. Rose dropped the sticks and raised her hands defensively. The natives stopped.

"Um, no, I'm not stealing...", she tried, but this did not seem to affect them. "Drums,", she said, picking the sticks back up, and motioning like she was playing the drums. This seemed to confuse them, so she slowly and carefully brought the sticks over to Ringo. He took them gently.

"What do we play?", he asked.

"You just do your thing,", said Rose, motioning him to carry on.

"They might want you to do something,", suggested Ringo.

"I can't drum.".

"Sing,", he said, still smiling at the natives, especially at the one with the spear.

"What do we sing?".

"Anything. Something from one of the LPs.".

"That's quite a wide field,", prodded Rose.

"Okay, um, do you know 'I Wanna Be Your Man'?".

"Of course, but it might sound a bit funny, me singing that,", Rose commented.

"They can't understand the lyrics, for Pete's sake.".

"Oh. Right.".

Ringo gave the sticks a little test on the primitive drum set, and it wasn't half a minute before he was pounding them like he had been practicing with them for years. Rose clapped to the beat and occasionally joined in singing.

 _"I wanna be your lover, baby, I wanna be your man. Love you like no other baby, like no other can, love you like no other, baby, I wanna be your man"._

The song progressed, and the natives started dancing around a bit. One even started to bop his head (a feeling that he was obviously unfamiliar with, but took quite a liking to it).

Somewhere in the middle of the song, Rose attempted a John Lennon "Ow!", which at first astonished the natives, but they were soon joining in, and in a few more bars, the whole settlement was screaming like Lennon.

When the song was over, they all just stared at Rose and Ringo, and Ringo's stage-intuition saw in their eyes that they wanted more (a look that he saw after every song and every show).

"What now?", said Ringo.

"How about 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'?".

And the jam session continued for that much longer. Rose and Ringo were actually starting to enjoy themselves a little, and they were amused by the native's reaction to the songs (Ringo especially).

They played about five more songs, and it seemed to appease the natives, who quite liked the Fab Four sound, apparently.

They stopped after 'Roll Over Beethoven'. The natives did, too. The natives stared at them, and Rose and Ringo's smiles did not seem to sooth them any longer. One stepped up towards the pair. He pointed his spear at Ringo, and nodded towards the drums. Ringo turned a little pale, but immediately started back up with a fast, upbeat drumline with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.

"What are we doing?", asked Rose, not sure how to join in.

 _"She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!"._

"Oh.". Rose tried to join in here and there.

 _"A-hey, hey Ro-o-ose, you don't suppo-o-ose, ",_

Rose immediately noticed there was something wrong with these lyrics.

 _"That they'll be coming soon, I'm thinking they've forgotten us,_ ", Ringo sang perfectly in tune with the song.

 _"She said she loves you! And you know that can't be bad,_ ", he continued.

 _"I say they're coming, and then we will be glad! *OOOO*_ ", replied Rose.

And together now, " _She loves you, yeah yeah yeah! She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"._

Ringo hadn't even finished the song before Rose called in, "'I Saw Her Standing There'!".

Ringo immediately changed over to the next song with no pause in between.

They started the song with the real lyrics. Rose was starting to feel desperate for a rescue. They couldn't go on playing forever.

Just then, Rose's heart leaped.

She saw a tiny, gentle blue glow a few hundred feet away, just outside the settlement clearing in the jungle.

 _"... So how could I dance with another? *OOO* When I saw her standing there"._

Rose cut in, _"Well my heart went boom, when They crossed that room, and he shined a blue light!"_. Rose was now bopping her head repetitively in the direction that she had seen the screwdriver light.

 _"Well, I see the blue light, and I know it'll be all right, now what do you say, why don't we run?"_ , Ringo responded.

 _"Well, if we run now, we'll be dead, and you know it! *OOO* Since I saw her standing there."_.

Rose decided to give an especially loud _"OW!"_ , in hopes that they would be heard and rescued sooner rather than later.

The song was almost over, and Rose didn't wait for it to end before rather loudly starting up her next number; _"WAIT! Oh, yes, wait a minute Mister Doctor! Way-yay-yay-yait Mister Doctor! Mister Doctor, wait and see, is there is there a rescue in the bag for me? We've been waiting a long long time, since we've heard from those friends of mine!"._

Though the Beatles definitely wouldn't be asking for her help with lyrics any time soon, Rose was hoping that the sounds of "DOCTOR!", ringing through the forest would catch their attention.

Rose was closely eyeing the perimeter of the camp as she belted out yet another terribly mutilated verse of lyrics (with the word 'Doctor' grossly overused and shouted at every opportunity), and for a moment she thought she saw a white shirtsleeve peep from behind a tree.

Just behind a batch of bushes low to the ground there had just arrived three young men and a Time Lord. They were lying in the dirt, trying to peer through the branches at their estranged friends, still a few hundred feet away.

"What's the plan?", asked Paul, rather more anxious to make a hasty rescue than any of the rest (for the sake of impressing Rose, of course).

"I'm thinking,", said the Doctor, staring critically at a few leaves in front of his face.

"What are they doing, anyway?", asked George, trying to get a better look.

"Well, it didn't take Ringo long to find the drums, even all the way out here,", laughed John, who had the best view. "'E's using twigs as sticks,", said John, starting to laugh more and more. "... And those look like some kind of... bongos. And all the painted people are dancing.".

 _"Oh, please, MISTER DOCTOR OVER HERE!"_ , came a distant singing voice that sounded a lot more like shouting (Rose's ridiculous appeals finally heard in the ears of those she was trying to reach).

"Is that Rose?", said Paul, an amused grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Listen...", said the Doctor.

When they listened hard, they could hear Rose and Ringo ad-libbing ridiculous lyrics to the tune of 'Please Mister Postman'.

 _"Look this way please, and set us free! You gotta wait a minute, wait a minute, oh, Doctor! Wait a minute, wait a minute, OOW YEAH!"_ , screamed Rose.

It took the hands of both George and Paul over John's mouth to keep him from howling with laughter.

Back from Ringo and Rose's point of view, Rose was quickly thinking of a song to go onto next without pausing. More than once she nearly decided on a song in her mind that hadn't been written yet from Ringo's point of view.

Before Ringo finished the first number, she started singing.

 _"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time, you ain't nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time, well, you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine"._

Ringo knew she was starting to run out of ideas. And though he had had experience with shows lasting many long, demanding hours in the dark, smoke-filled places that were the clubs of Hamburg, that was somehow different than playing everything top speed at spear-point in the middle of the rainforest. His mind was starting to go blank between songs.

This was possibly the most ridiculous thing that Rose had ever attempted. But she knew the minute they stopped the guy with the spear would threaten them again. Rose only hoped that they could hear her and she wasn't just singing awfully with made-up lyrics to the very people who would later turn her and Ringo into a kebab.

Ringo, on the other hand, had never drummed so long without even a two second pause. If he even made a move to let Rose sing and rest his aching arms, he saw the man with a spear give him a look. So Ringo just swallowed the pain and pounded on.

Just then, something unexpected happened. Another native walked into the little settlement. He was a big, tall man, and looked to be approaching old age. Rose and Ringo continued with their speed-round "concert", but all of the other natives stopped dancing immediately and faced the old man, kneeling to the ground immediately.

"The king, then?", Ringo whispered over to Rose.

"Looks like it,", agreed Rose.

Rose had stopped singing, but Ringo drummed on for fear of the guy with the spear. Ringo kept going, even after the entire camp had fallen silent. Rose had a feeling he should stop, but didn't say anything as she was also unsure. In a moment, she would get certainty.

The leader was looking over his subjects, and speaking to them rapidly in their language. No one made eye contact with him. He looked over at Ringo after a bit. He wasn't pleased. He frowned. Ringo stopped drumming.

"Tikangua-gua. Muntemankui,", he spoke to the young man with the spear, who was then on his knees.

The young man immediately flew to his feet and started to help the old man step up to the pair of strangers. The king looked them over critically; a young lady with rather mussed up blonde curls and a quite bedraggled-looking pink t-shirt with dirty jeans and tennis shoes, a young man with unkempt, damp, floppy brown hair, dressed in his white button-down shirt only buttoned in one place, black trousers, and his bare feet.

"Kientigui. Shiniynui,", said the old man.

The young man did not hesitate a second before grabbing Ringo's arm and dragging him to his feet, only to force him to kneel before the king.

Ringo started to open his mouth to say something, but the old man rared back and slapped him hard across the face.

Rose's eyes were immediately set alight with a flame of anger. She barely stayed seated. She ground her teeth until it hurt.

"Nikimanmat,", said the old man, waving his hand dismissively, starting to walk off. The young man immediately got a chokehold on Ringo. He took a small knife out of his belt, and held the blade to Ringo's throat, preparing to cut it wide open. Ringo was a pale shade of gray, and tried to struggle, but it was no use.

Rose kept her cool. She stood up rather suddenly, and tapped the young native casually on the shoulder. He looked over at her, a bit confused, but still quite angry looking. A lump developed in Rose's throat. She said nothing for about two seconds. Plan B.

"Woah, what's that?", she said, pointing the other way. The spear-guy immediately looked.

Rose then delivered a clean right-hook in the mouth that knocked the spear-guy completely off his feet, and his knife went flying through to air. She shocked herself, and was rather proud, but there wasn't time to bask in her victory.

"RUN!", Rose screamed, grabbing Ringo's hand and making a mad dash in the direction that they had seen the screwdriver light a few minutes earlier.

They ran right past the Doctor and the lads, who were just then charging into the camp in what would have been a do-or-die rescue effort. The others made a quick U-turn, and Rose grabbed the Doctor's hand as she flew by. Now they felt quite at home. Running for their lives.

In about 30 seconds or less, the entire settlement (minus the one that Rose had just taken a shot at; he was still spitting blood) was on their heels. Paul, George, and John were barely keeping up.

They were running wildly through the jungle, practically airborne as they leaped and jumped over vines that would hang them up.

Before Rose even realized it, they ran up on a huge ravine, a small river trickling in the bottom of it, and she felt her weight pushing her in as she came to a screeching halt. The Doctor held onto her as she teetered on the edge, trying to get her balance. But it wasn't of much use. John, George, and Paul were rather in a hurry, seeing as they had about two dozen angry natives with spears hooting and hollering on their tails, and didn't even notice the rest of their party at a dead stop ahead until it was too late. Paul ran smack into Rose, and this sent them both completely over the edge.

"ROSE!", called the Doctor, but it was too late.

Rose and Paul landed with a tremendous *splash* in the river. They went some distance underwater before they both finally surfaced.

"Are you all right?", Paul asked Rose, as he himself was busy choking up water.

"Yeah, how about you?", coughed Rose.

"Fine, I think.".

But before anything else could happen, their eyes were caught by the spectacle above them.

John, George, Ringo, and the Doctor could then be seen swinging across the ravine on vines hanging from the trees, the natives on their heels, stopping short at the edge of the river, shouting angrily in their language. John, as usual, was whooping like a giddy schoolboy.

Paul couldn't help but laugh, and Rose joined in. But as soon as she looked back to the other side of the river, she wasn't laughing anymore. There was a young brave aiming to throw a spear directly at her.

"Deep breath!", she shouted at Paul quickly.

They both gasped in, and joined hands so as to not lose eachother underwater, and submerged themselves, swimming down. The water was muddy, and even when she opened her eyes, Rose could barely see Paul. She tried not to exhale at all so she wouldn't create bubbles, but after about 45 seconds, she couldn't hold her breath any longer. She emptied her lungs and started back to the surface for air. Paul followed so he wouldn't lose her.

Rose gasped for air once above the surface, and Paul followed with only a second's delay. But it didn't take them long to see that the natives were still looming at the bank. The both gasped for another breath and went back under, this time swimming downstream far underwater.

Rose's arms and legs were aching terribly by the time that both their sets of lungs were in desperate need for oxygen (Rose's more than Paul the vocalist's). They both surfaced side by side, feeling like they could drink the air.

Rose looked around them, and there wasn't a sign of a single soul on the banks.

"We've lost them,", said Paul, still out of breath.

"And we've lost the boys and the Doctor, too,", said Rose, surveying the other side of the bank as well.

They just tread water for a moment, feeling a little exhausted.

"That was some punch, that. You'll have to teach me that sometime. Might come in handy in pubs or something,", teased Paul, giving her a little wink.

"It was nothing...", said Rose, rolling her eyes modestly, though obviously a bit proud. Then her expression changed to one of contempt (but she was smiling behind her eyes).

"And where the hell were you, then?", she said, giving him a light punch in the shoulder. "We were calling, well, erm, uh...", she stopped, embarrassed, hoping he hadn't heard her caterwauling.

"Yes. 'Oh, please, Mister Doctor'", he sang (in perfect tune as opposed to Rose's aimless screeching), smirking at her.

Rose gave a rather indignant smile. "If we stopped singing, the bloke threatened us with a spear, so we had to keep on.".

"That's what it was, then, was it? Mmm hmm,", said Paul, suppressing a smile.

"Anyway, fat lot of good you were doing, hiding in the bushes while Ringo and I were about to be murdered,", said Rose in mock-exasperation.

"Sorry, but as you were running out, didn't you notice us running in? No plan, no weapons, just a mind to save you two and what do we get?,", said Paul, pursing his lips, pretending to be angry.

"I could have used a bit of help.".

"I think you were fine. Brilliant, in fact.".

Rose smiled a little, but was not willing to give into flattery.

"Shut up,", she insisted.

"No,", he protested, unable to not smile.

They just looked at eachother for a moment. Paul's hair looked rather funny, disheveled and hanging just a little too long over his eyes since it was sopping wet. Rose didn't like to think about what she looked like, though she had ratted, stringy pieces of her blonde hair hanging in her face, that much she knew.

Rose finally coughed and looked away when the staring and silence felt like it was going on too long.

"Listen,", said Paul, clearing his throat. "I know this a bit of an odd time, but... I wonder, if you would, um, perhaps consider... maybe going out someplace when we get back to the real world? Maybe dinner, or dancing... Or something?".

Rose couldn't help but smile at him. Sopping wet, his shirt buttoned in the wrong holes (making for a lop-sided open collar), his hair sticking out a bit on the sides and clinging flat to his forehead, and somehow managing to blush whilst being almost entirely submerged in cold water.

Rose opened her mouth to answer, but then she saw movement in the corner of her eye. She looked round, and she knew at once that the moment was ruined. Out of the frying pan; into the fire.

It was a crocodile.

She looked back at Paul with a rather pale expression and wide, horrified eyes.

"...Or a film? Whatever you want,", said Paul, biting his lip.

Rose gulped.

"Um... Paul, I think we should, maybe, perhaps... Run.".

He furrowed his brow at her for a second, but then she started very slowly nodding her head towards the animal now only feet away. It was lying on a small sandbar under a rock overhang on the other side of the little river.

"Oh,", said Paul seeing. He then definitely stopped blushing. "All right then,", he gulped. "So, do we climb?", he said, motioning with this eyes to the rock side of the ravine that was nearest to them.

"I think we might,", said Rose. "We wouldn't stand a chance swimming.".

"Okay, exactly how are we going to do this?", he asked.

This sounded like a very proper drawing room conversation only because they did not want to alert the beast.

Rose looked up the side of the cliff.

"You first.".

It was a little more than vertical, angling in towards the top, but there were jagged pieces here and there sticking out.

"I think you should go first. You've gotten almost-murdered too many times today.".

"Now is no time to be a gentleman. Thank you, but no. So please, just climb,", said Rose, motioning with her hands towards the cliff.

He didn't answer, he just started over to the cliff and found a few indentations to put his hands in. He started to pull himself up, and it was no easy job. He was soaking wet, and his water-logged Cuban heels were definitely not helping matters. It was slow going, trying to find footholes and handholes all the way up. His feet were only about 4 feet above the water when Rose's head was turned back to the crocodile by the noises it was making. Growling, roaring. It started moving towards the water.

"Oh, my GOD. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go,", said Rose, suppressing screaming and tapping the back of Paul's leg repetitively.

Paul tried to climb faster, but just then, he was starting to reach the inward angle of the cliff, and the climbing got harder.

The crocodile was still coming. Rose saw her entire life flash like a bolt of lightning before her eyes as it climbed smoothly down into the water like a submarine entering the harbor and preparing to dive.

Rose was trying very, very hard not to cry out as it headed right for her and got closer. And closer. And closer.

In a last attempt, she lept onto the side of the wall like a cat (nearly hitting her head on Paul's boot), and tried to climb quickly.

The crocodile increased it's speed across the water. Rose only had her left foot a few feet above water level before it was upon her. It extended it's absolutely massive snout up in the air towards her. It opened its mouth.

"GO!", Rose screamed. Paul was nearly to the top now.

It snapped.

Rose let a shreak escape her, and slammed her eyes shut. She didn't want to look down. But she thought that it might have completely taken off her foot.

She looked back slowly, and she was wrong. But what she saw wasn't that great either.

The beast had the end of her shoe in it's front teeth.

She started kicking and flinging her foot from side to side with all her might, but the beast held on firmly.

"PAUL!", she screeched.

"Hang on!", he shouted from above.

Rose continued to kick. The beast then started to pull downwards on her shoe. Rose started frantically pawing the rocks as they started to slip from her grip. The pulling continued, and Rose ground her teeth, trying in vain to pull against the strength of the crocodile. She was almost back down to water level before she had a desperate idea. It might kill her, and it might save her life.

She let go with her other foot, and started to use all her remaining strength to try and boot the crocodile in the nose, as one would a dog who wouldn't let loose of a bone. Suspended by her arms only, she repetitively came down hard on the beast's nose over and over again. It didn't seem to be affecting the crocodile, but Rose's arms were wearing out.

Paul was meanwhile trying to back back down the cliffside, and trying to reach Rose with his arm to give her a hand, but he couldn't quite reach.

Rose kept on kicking, and before she knew it, the beast had to release momentarily to reaffirm its grip; and when it did, all it got was a dirty white tennis shoe for all its efforts.

The release of pulling force almost shocked Rose and knocked her off balance, but she clung fast to the cliffside, and started to quickly scale the side with one bare foot. She finally got high enough to reach Paul's arm, and he pulled her all the way to the top.

They sat on the grass above for a moment, gasping for breath.

"Yes.".

"What?!", said Paul, totally thrown.

"Yes. I would love to go out.".

"Oh,", he said, realizing what she meant. "Sure thing, baby. You know Rose? You're not a half bad doll,", he said, starting to smile.

Their smiles turned into laughter after a few seconds, and they were lying in the grass, laughing almost uncontrollably for no apparent reason, as people tend to do when they evade danger miraculously.

All of a sudden, there was a bright flash of light.


	8. Chapter 8

And then they found themselves somewhere entirely different; a city alley, or what Rose thought was an alley. Everything suggested this assumption; the dumpsters, the back doors to buildings, the narrow pavement on which they were lying - but something was different. The buildings weren't exactly what Rose was used to. They were made of a shiny, almost blinding, metallic metal. But then Rose noticed something. The dirt at the edges of the pavement. It was blue.

"Um...", she said, trying to get on her feet. "Sorry, but is that dirt?".

Paul looked over at what she was pointing at, and squinted. They both got to their feet, and Rose bent over and scooped up a handful of it, feeling it.

"Looks like it,", said Paul, giving it a sniff. "That's... different.".

"Yeah. We must be a long way from home,", said Rose.

Then Rose realized. She raised a hand and felt her hair. It was totally dry, and as curly as when she first done it many, many hours ago. And she was once again wearing her sweater she had lost. She looked over Paul. His hair was dry, perfectly combed across his forehead, his shirt was buttoned correctly, and he was wearing his jacket and tie once again.

"Weird.".

Paul realized what she meant.

"Yeah.".

Rose looked up.

"Maybe we should try to find a way out of here,", she said.

"All right, then. Looks like a street up there,", said Paul, pointing ahead.

"All right,", said Rose starting out.

Paul then took her arm without invitation and led her on.

Once they reached the end of the block, they got a shock.

It reminded Rose of the photos she had seen of Tokyo. There were electronic billboards everywhere, except they seemed to be projected into thin air. And the buildings were all made purely of glass and a very metallic metal. You could see the activity inside of every room of every floor in every building. And the light reflecting off of them was blinding. There was no dead space. Every square inch of earth seemed to have a building setting on top of it. The street was extremely narrow, and it was apparently only used by pedestrians. It was no wonder every single one of the hundreds of people walking along the streets was wearing dark shades. Rose's eyes were unable to look at anything but the ground.

Paul raised a hand to shield his eyes.

"Blimey,", he said.

"Yeah. Blimey,", she agreed.

Rose looked around, and there seemed to be a bank's billboard somewhere among the adverts floating in the sky above the street.

"Time; 11:30am. Date; April 5th, 3264. WEATHER; 31 degrees Celsius. CURRENT GLARE; LIKE 70W,", followed by the message, "Thank you for banking with HUIB Homosapiens United Intergalactic Bank and Trust".

"What does it mean, 'Like 70W'?", asked Paul, squinting almost to the point of closing his eyes completely.

"I think they mean it's like staring into a 70 Watt lightbulb to look up.".

"Blimey.".

"Yeah. Blimey.".

Rose felt a touch of deja vu.

"Wonder where the others are...", commented Rose, her eyes now starting to water.

"I dunno,", replied Paul, also blinded.

"Look, I think we ought to get out of this and maybe inside somewhere, or something,", said Rose, now completely blinded.

"Yes,", agreed Paul.

They pondered down the side of the street blindly. Literally. They held hands to keep from losing eachother (which would be quite easy for two blind people in a sea of hundreds).

"I think I see a door up here,", said Paul, pointing towards the nearest door to the inside.

"Righto,", agreed Rose, and followed him.

What they didn't see was the sign above the door; "THE MOD".

Rose soon found out what kind of a place she had just staggered into. Though not immediately.

She couldn't tell much about anything inside the building. All she saw was a throbbing white light in front of her eyes. She heard a voice.

"Oh, honey, what in the world were you thinkin'?! Going out without your glasses! I tell you, the world just keep gettin' stranger,", said a female voice that Rose thought was coming from near her on her right. She had a very whiny voice polished off by a Brooklyn, New York accent.

Rose could feel a hand touch her arm and guide her over to the side and sit her down on a cushy but slick surface. She pulled Paul along with her.

In a moment, her vision started to clear. What she saw was a bit surprising.

It was like an old soda shop from the 60s. The walls were painted in swirly psychedelic colors. There were chairs and tables, and stools in front of a bar, a jukebox in the corner, and a few lava lamps sitting around. Though were some things weren't quite right. The more she examined the jukebox, she realized it wasn't a jukebox. There weren't any real records inside of it at all, and there were small electronic screen here and there on it. And the lava lamps weren't supported by anything, and there were no cords running from them. Only the glass globes with the lava inside them seemed to be floating in mid air.

Rose blinked.

"Are you all right, honey?", said the woman. Rose looked over.

The woman was dressed in a sailor's suit type outfit, with a red bandanna tied around her head of mint-green curls. She had a rather plain face, and she had bright red lips that looked like they were coated in about half a tube. She had a rather large and obnoxious nose-ring and something strange to the side of her eye.

"Yes... I think I'm all right,", said Rose, rubbing her eyes.

"What's your name, honey?".

"Rose.".

"Oh, that's a darling name. I read that once in something I found in an oddities shop... Oh what do they call it... I think they called it a 'paperback',", she giggled.

"But anyway, it's so unusual these days to have such an old-fashioned name. I'm Moonshadow,", she said, extending her hand to Rose, "But call me Margie. I like it better, and it sounds really old-fashioned.".

Rose nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

Just then, another girl came out of the back. She had bright purple hair fashioned into a bob, and her eyes, set off by her over-done bright orange winged eyeliner, had a very unnatural twinkle to them. Rose would realize once she got closer that she had shimmery purple eyes (Her actual eyeballs were purple. Rose had a hard time meeting her eye). She was wearing an Audrey Hepburn-styled dress, though it was a lot shorter than Miss Hepburn liked to wear hers, and she was wearing bright red stiletto heels that had to be at least 4 inches tall.

"OWH. MY. GAD,", she said. Rose thought that this would probably translate to 'Oh my God' without the accent applied.

Rose watched, almost alarmed, as she immediately flew to Paul.

"OWH. MY. GAD, Maargie,", she said, her eyes wide and her jaw gaping, showing the small piece of chewing gum stuck down to her back molars.

"Are you fa-real, sweetie?", she said, her mouth still gaping. "You're nat one a-those droids or somethin'?".

Paul looked over at Rose, totally at a loss.

"No, he's real,", said Rose.

"OWH. MY GAD. What's your name, babe?".

Paul swallowed as his eyes scanned the girl with the moderately frightening purple eyes.

"Paul,", he gulped.

"OWH,", she gushed over to 'Margie'. "That's absolutely darling. Owh my gad, he can't be real. He's just too flawless. He's just too perfect,", she said, starting to reach out and touch his hair.

Paul immediately ducked out of her reach, and once straightened back up, started fidgeting with his tie.

"Owh, hunny, don't be shy. I'm surprised you don't get this every day,", she said, laughing a fairly annoying machine-gun laugh. "I'm surprised he doesn't get this every day,", she repeated to her friend.

"Look at his eyes, Margie. Have you ever seen anything like it? And his tie, and his jacket, and OWH my GAD his HAIR!", she gushed.

Margie got up and started to examine him as well.

"Now that you mention it, Betty, his eyes are...", agreed Margie, starting to trail off as she looked him over.

"Um,", started Paul, now in danger of pulling his tie totally off, "I'm flattered, but I really think we should get going, Rose and I,", he said, now dodging Margie who was trying to get a feel of his suit lapel.

"Owh, sweetheart, you can't go now! You're the most perfect customer we've ever had!", exclaimed Betty (Rose was almost sure by now that that wasn't her real name).

"Sorry, customer?", he asked.

"Don't you know what kind of place this is? It's what they used to call a 'soda shop'. They had them back in the 1900s. But, hunny, you have to know that!", said Margie.

"So how does that make me perfect?".

"You're the most appropriately dressed customer we've ever had!", exclaimed Margie.

"Hold it!", exclaimed Betty.

"What?", asked Margie.

"Say something for me, sweetheart,", she said, pointing at Paul inquisitively.

"You what?", he shot back, furrowing his brow.

"Say, um... 'It's totally boss'".

Paul furrowed his brow cynically. "It's totally boss,", he echoed.

"OWH. MY. GAAAAD, Margie!", she squeeled, turning to her friend as both of them jumped up and down giddily as much as they could on their heels.

"His accent! It's too good to be true! He's so ADORABLE!", Margie squeeled, now hanging on her friend.

"I just want to take you home!", added Betty.

"Well, as I said, we have to be going,", he said, trying in vain to find Rose's hand without taking a wary eye off of the two very strange girls.

"Owh, hunny, don't go! You're the best thing that's walked in here since that droid that had hair like Presley Elvis! Except for a million times more flawless.".

"Um...", said Paul. "I think that's 'Elvis Presley'. And what's a droid?".

Suddenly, Betty heaved a huge sigh, and if Margie wouldn't have caught her, she would have probably fallen down on the floor.

"Owh my gad,", she said breathlessly. "Margie... I'm gonna need a stiff shot 'a somethin'.".

Margie hurried back behind the counter and poured her friend what looked like a Coke, but not before taking a shot of what looked somewhat like cherry soda herself.

"Gahd, it's like you're really from back then,", said Margie, starting to pour Coke on the counter instead of the glass as she watched Paul flick his hair and mess with the buttons on his cuffs.

"That's because I-,", Paul started to reply, and the words were almost out of his mouth before he noticed Rose motioning wildly from the sidelines for him to shut up. His expression changed to one of a young man attempting to get both feet inside his mouth.

"I - I mean, ehem, I -", he coughed.

"What's wrong hunny?", Betty asked before taking one very large shot of Coke.

"I - I'm fine. I'm just -", an idea entered into Paul's mind. "I'm all shook up, it seems,", trying to pull an Elvis-style sideways smirk.

Margie started to hyperventilate, Betty nearly fell off of her heels, and Rose gave him a very stern look, but she was silently amused at what he did there. She wasn't quite sure if the girls from the future even fully understood the reference, but they got the general gist.

"Owh my gad, he's an absolute dream,", said Betty, now catching dear Paul off gaurd and getting a good feel of his shiny, floppy dark brown hair.

"OWH. Owh, my GAD, Margie! OWH MY GAD!" said Betty, now jumping a few inches into the air.

"What?!".

"HIS HAIR! FEEL HIS HAIR!".

Paul was now trying to wriggle away, but got cornered against the side of the booth that Rose was sitting at and Margie started feeling his hair.

"Oh,", said Margie, before fainting. She had literally just fainted, flat out on the floor.

Betty dropped to her knees with some difficulty because of her ridiculous shoes.

"Margie?", she said, trying to wake her up.

Paul bent down rather reluctantly next to Betty and picked up her friend.

"OWH MY GAD! If she knew that you had picked her up... She would probably faint again!".

Just at that second, the doors opened. Four familiar faces appeared in the door.

"DOCTOR!", Rose exclaimed, jumping up and attacked the man in the pinstriped suit with a hug that nearly floored him.

"Hello, there,", he said. "I'm guessing you're Rose?".

"Oh,", she said, realizing that he probably couldn't see. "Yes. Yes, it's me!".

"Owh, my GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDD!", said Betty, now flying into the other three boys as soon as they made it in the door. She only got in a good stroke of George's tie and a fingering of Ringo's hair before her eyes started to drift closed and she fell right off her rather ridiculous shoes. She had fainted, flat out on the floor.

"Heavens,", said John.

"Well, all right, then,", said George, raising his eyebrows.

"Lads,", started Paul as he was sitting the young Margie down in a chair. "This is Margie, and that's Betty.".


	9. Chapter 9

Both girls came to within a couple minutes. But as soon as they did wake up, they were in danger of fainting again.

Betty (not surprisingly) was the first one to speak. She fluttered her eyes open a little, and caught sight of George and John standing around a nearby table. She heaved a huge, very content sigh.

"Don't wake me, Mother, I'm dreaming...", she slurred, before tossing her head back to the other side.

"Betty,", said Rose, prodding her side.

"I said Shut Up, Mam!", she said rather angrily, fluttering her eyes again.

"Betty!", said Rose more firmly, shaking her shoulder a little.

Betty woke up immediately.

But as soon as she realized where she was, she furrowed her pink eyebrows.

She straightened up in her chair.

"Owh my gad, I wasn't dreaming,", she mumbled.

Margie started to wake up. She looked around a little, and caught sight of Ringo. Her eyes widened. She jumped up along with Betty.

"What are we going to do?", asked Margie, looking over the boys.

"I don't know. It's like that thing my grandma talked about... Christmas,", replied Betty, helplessly chewing on her lip and sighing.

Rose thought they didn't even notice her now.

"There's four of them. All with the hair. And this one, with the super great hair,", said Betty, taking notice of the Doctor. The Doctor seemed to recoil back into the booth when she reached out to touch his heavily-gelled hair.

"What's your name, sweetheart?".

"The Doctor.".

"For real?", said Betty, laughing.

"Yeah.".

"Oh, they're just too much, Betty,", said Margie, starting to lose herself again. "I think I'm gonna die.".

"Control yourself, Margie,", said Betty, though now looking over the Doctor's interesting pinstriped suit and his tie.

"Oh, look!", said John to George, starting over towards the jukebox. "Didn't expect to find one of these.". He fished a coin out of his pocket and started looking for a slot that didn't exist.

"Owh, hunny,", said Betty, starting over. "Where did you even find any of that hard money? An antiquities shop?". She whipped a transparent card out of her pocket and held it in front of a censor which beeped, and a voice said "10 credits".

John didn't ask any questions.

"What'll ya have, sweetie?".

"I dunno, what've you got?", he replied.

"Oh, the Rolling Rocks, I like them, they're funny, somethin' called 'Whose Generation', um, the Beagles,", she said.

"Sorry, what?", John interrupted.

"The Beagles. I know, it's a funny name,", she snorted.

John started chuckling. "Yeah. I suppose it is kind of funny.".

"Oh, here's a good one,", she said, looking through the choices. "Hucklebury.".

"Sorry, what?", said John.

"Hucklebury; Johnny B. Goode. I downloaded it from an oddity shop's collection. I don't know what it is. Is swings, though.".

"Chuck Berry?...", breathed John mostly to himself.

"What, hunny?".

George and Ringo could be heard trying to contain chuckles.

"Nothing,", dismissed John. "Sounds boss to me. I could dig that.".

"Oh, you're just so era, you're just killin' me, sweetheart,", she said, starting to breathe heavily as she clicked an electronic button.

"Way down in Louisiana, down in New Orleans, way back up in the woods among the evergreens, there stood a log cabin made of earth and wood, where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode,", sang the speakers within seconds.

"Care to dance?", said George, stepping up.

In a second, George was twisting, and Betty was in disbelief. There was no limit to these boy's "era". In a moment, everybody was dancing but the Doctor and Rose.

"May I have this dance, Doctor?", Rose asked.

"You certainly may, Miss Tyler,", he replied, a boyish smile pulling at his mouth.

They danced much like they did back in the TARDIS before the start of this adventure.

After the song, Margie turned to her partner, Ringo, and asked, "Hunny, do you consider yourself a mod or a rocker?".

Rose overheard and nearly started laughing, but Ringo remained very composed and replied, "I'm not a mod. Or a rocker. I'm a mocker.".

Then Margie was practically in stitches, and Ringo couldn't help but smile at his own joke.

"Was that right, lads?", he called to the other boys.

"I dunno, I haven't properly read your bits. I'm havin' a hard enough time with me own!", called John who was carefully examining a floating lava lamp at that moment.

The jukebox skipped onto another track.

"Hold me close, hold me tight, make me thrill with delight, let me know where I stand from the start; I want you, I need you, I love you with all my heart".

The Doctor felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned. It was Paul.

"May I?".

The Doctor sort of awkwardly canted his eyebrows and gave his short "Yeah" that really meant 'Please shut up'.

Paul didn't take the hint, either because he didn't take it or chose not to, and stepped in, taking Rose's right hand in his left and put his right hand on her back.

"I remember the first time I heard this song,", he recalled.

"When was that?", Rose asked.

"I was about 15, in the record store in Liverpool. I thought it must be about a pretty special chick,", he smiled warmly down at her.

If she would have looked away towards the Doctor, she would have observed him chewing on his lip and fiddling with his screwdriver over by the jukebox, trying very hard to look casual. He was squirming a little at the sight of Rose with Paul.

Just then, Paul started to relax his head down on top of Rose's, but then there came a single loud cough in his left ear that made him jump and stiffen up straight. He looked aggravatedly over at the cougher. It was John.

"Neck getting tired again, then, Paulie?", John teased, trying to suppress his own sniggering. Though it was all in fun between Lennon and McCartney, there were times when Paul would have liked to tell him something (at times he was tempted to do this with his fist).

"Shut it, John,", uttered Paul, turning back to Rose and trying to ignore his bandmate.

Just then, the jukebox sputtered and skipped.

"Woah, woah, here she comes; watch out boy, she'll chew you up! Woah, Woah, here she comes; she's a maneater!".

Rose furrowed her brow and turned to the jukebox.

"A bit too 80s for this place,", she commented, leaving Paul and walking over to the jukebox.

The Doctor was glancing around totally innocently.

But George had seen what he had done. He had made the tracks switch, and it only reaffirmed what he had observed earlier. The Doctor was quite fond of Rose. And at that moment, he wasn't very pleased with Paul.

"Is that from the future?", John asked the Doctor and Rose as they all crowded up to the jukebox.

"Plug your ears, boys! Spoilers!", the Doctor scolded.

Before the boys could get a proper listen to 80s music, the box shut down. Totally died. All its lights went out, and all the lights in the building went out except for a dim light behind the counter.

"Owh, shoot, Margie!", said Betty.

"Time to go home,", sighed Margie.

"What are you talking about? It's only afternoon!", exclaimed Rose.

"Owh, hunny,", said Betty, looking at her like she must be totally retarded.

"What?", said Rose.

"Don't you know anything? - Well, I guess I shouldn't ask that. You all came in without glasses, for cripe's sakes,", said Betty, starting to feverishly wipe up the bar as Margie started picking up all their things.

"What's up?", said Ringo, furrowing his brow as the girls frantically rushed around the cafe, picking up things and wiping tables.

"We've got 5 minutes. We're going to be so late,", said Betty, starting to cry.

"What are you talking about? What happens in five minutes?", demanded the Doctor, who was now starting to get concerned.

"Oh, mister. Where've you been?", replied Margie, all the excited light that had been there before fading from her eyes.

"We're from, em, really, really... Really out of town,", he replied. "Now what do you mean?", he said, raising his eyebrow at her.

"Well, I should have guessed that. There aren't any people that perfect left in the whole system,", Margie said, looking the Beatles over again.

"System?", questioned John.

Margie just smiled and continued with her duties as quickly as she could.

"I think she means solar system,", George whispered over to him.

"Or another system altogether. Their sun patterns are very different to our own,", Rose added.

"The lords. They will come if we don't get home in our flats in 5 minutes,", said Betty, still crying as she finished wiping everything up.

"Oh, I knew we should have gone home early, Betty,", said Margie, now starting to get panicky.

"The lords will come, and if you're not home where you're supposed to be, you get... taken under,", said Betty, shuddering.

"What are you talking about?", demanded the Doctor. "Who are the lords?".

Betty shook her head. "There's no time to explain, mister. You can't be out after dark. Nothing good happens after dark. Hide anywhere. Anywhere you can find. And if you get caught...", a tear rolled down her cheek as she looked over the boys, "Don't blink.".

Something about her last sentence struck a chord with the Doctor. A very disturbing chord. A spark ignited into a flame behind his eyes. And Rose knew the look. It meant danger was close.

"The Mines of Wenx,", he breathed.

"What?", questioned Rose, now thoroughly alarmed.

"I knew we shouldn't have done this. We should have just gone to a moon or something less stupid, less reckless,", he shook his head, covering his face with his hands.

"Doctor, what are you talking about?", said Rose, getting stern.

"Hunny, there's no time, we gotta get out,", insisted Betty, starting to push everyone towards the door. "We can't get locked in. I did that once. My parents thought I was dead. Got home the next morning and my father was out looking for what was left of me and my mother was crying,", she said, recalling with discomfort.

The boys were terrified and bewildered. They all stuck close to their experience travelling friends.

In a moment, they were all pushed out into the street. It was totally dark. Rose couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or shut. She looked to the sky. There was no moon and no stars. Nothing at all.

"Wha... That's not possible. It was light just fifteen minutes ago. Broad daylight,", Rose heard George exclaim just before a hand clapped over his mouth.

"Shh,", whispered Betty.

"Sweetheart,", Rose heard her continue, "Please. You can't get caught. You can't make a sound. I don't want anything to happen to any of you. So please. Take care of yourselves.".

"Betty!", came a hissing whisper. George sense Betty jump in fright, though it was only Margie, who had apparently already started to make up the street.

As she started to turn away, she pressed something into George's hand, and whispered, barely audibly, "Thanks for the dance, sweetie.".

And then she was gone.

"Doctor?", Rose whispered after a few seconds of total silence and total darkness that made Rose's blood turn cold.

"Shh!", he retorted harshly.

"Join hands,", the Doctor whispered after a moment, and Rose could barely hear him at all.

They felt around in the dark until they all found eachother.

"We've got to stick together. Now follow me,", said the Doctor, starting to make soundlessly down the street.

Rose's throat was dry, and she was totally terrified. She wasn't sure who's hands she was holding (neither belonged to Ringo; they weren't wearing rings) but both of them were as cold as her own hands.

"Where are we going?", she breathed.

No one answered her.

An enormous lump came up in Rose's stomach, and she clung even tighter to the hands she was holding.

They walked in the dark for what seemed like ages, and Rose thought she might die of curiosity and fear before the line finally came to a stop.

"In, everyone,", whispered the Doctor.

"In what?", retorted Rose.

"In the bin!".

"What bin?".

"Oh, for Pete's sake. Humans and their poor eyesight,", resigned the Doctor, picking Rose up and sitting her up on the edge of something (what Rose assumed was the bin).

"You mean you could see a bin in this kind of darkness?", said Ringo in disbelief.

"Yes, now get in. A little less conversation, a little more action,", said the Doctor impatiently. Something had definitely made him out of sorts since Betty said 'don't blink'. Rose only wished she knew what it was.

"I would if I could see a bleeding thing,", Ringo replied, stumbling until he smacked into the bin with a *thump*.

The Doctor cringed and directed all the lads into the large-ish metal bin.

When Rose's sneakers landed in the bottom of the bin, she didn't like the idea of being in an enclosed space with things she couldn't see nor determine what they were. Under her left shoe was something soggy that smelled sickeningly sour, and there was something rather large and rigid under her right foot that almost threw her off balance. There were a few moans from the boys, who didn't like the smell either, especially Ringo, who stepped in something a lot less than amiable.

Once they were all settled (reluctantly sat down and bent over by the orders of the Doctor), George spoke first.

"Where are we supposed to be, anyway?".

"Yeah, what are these 'Mines of Wenx'?", added Paul.

"And what'd she mean by not blinking?", chimed in Ringo.

"... And do our records really exist thousands of years in the future?", breathed John.

The thought apparently hadn't occurred to the rest of the group, who were too wrapped up in wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey things.

John's latter comment struck quite a strong chord with the boys, and they all began to chatter excitedly amongst themselves.

"Shhh!", exclaimed the Doctor.

"'Ey!", exclaimed Ringo, starting to get irate.

"Okay,", resigned the Doctor at a whisper. "George; we're on the planet Kentor, in the galaxy called Delta Sixty-Four point Nine Five, about 4 billion lightyears from planet Earth, where the sun patterns are irregular and the hours of daylight are sometimes unpredictable. Paul; the Mines of Wenx are... um, well, it's complicated.".

"We're listening, spaceman,", prodded John.

"Well,", sighed the Doctor. "We haven't got much time, so I'll be short. The Mines of Wenx are on the planet Kentor. When the Earth started to get severely overpopulated, humans started to move out, and when they found Kentor, they moved in. It was a little like home, except some things were different.".

"Like blue dirt,", added Paul.

"Right. So when they started rooting round in the dirt, they found deposits of what they call 'Wenzonite'. That's how they made their fortune, trading it to other planets. And that's what all the buildings are made out of. That's why the glare is so horrendous. It's not glass. So then other races started moving in to share in the wealth, and it wasn't a purely human colony anymore. That's probably why those girls reacted the way they did to you lads. They themselves hadn't seen a purebred, all-natural human being before except for in picture books.".

"You mean they weren't human?", asked Paul feebly.

"Nope. Plus they weren't real, anyway. But Kentor and this city exist in the real world, of course.".

"I danced with an alien girl,", said George, sounding like he was getting sick.

"Yep,", reaffirmed the Doctor.

"But they looked like humans!... sort of,", protested Paul.

"They weren't. Something commonly done by people in this era was to learn about human history, and some of them fancied it so much that they actually made... well, made themselves look way more human than they naturally did. And that's all I'll say,", said the Doctor, wanting to spare the boy's stomachs.

"But what are these mines that you're on about?", prodded Ringo.

"Well, they are the deposits I was talking about just a moment ago. But in this day and age, they aren't the booming mines anymore. They are nothing but endless, dark shafts reaching all the way down into the center of the planet. The residents of Kentor claimed the supply of Wenzonite ran out decades ago. But the supply didn't really run out. Do you want to know the real reason they stopped mining?".

"What?", they all asked.

"The supply did start wearing thin. And they dug deeper, and deeper, and even deeper, desperate to keep afloat in the galaxy's economy. They dug so deep that they found things they didn't want to find, hidden in the dust and dirt of the center of the planet. The real reason they stopped mining was because one day the miners started going down and never coming back up. Out of the thousands of workers, only five went down and made the trip back. But they all told the same story. The rocks came alive. Stone creatures broke free from the debris, exhumed from their tombs. And those that they touched disappeared without a trace, never to be found again.".

An ice-cold breeze seemed to blow through the bin.

"Some call them the Lonely Assassins. But they are best known as the Weeping Angels.".

"What are they?", breathed George, turning up his collar for warmth.

"They look just like stone statues. Some of them are perfectly carved, others are more vague figures if they've been starved. They are stone. Harmless. When they are being observed. But then you look round. Then you turn your head. Then you blink. And they come alive.".

"Oh, poppycock,", scoffed John, though there were definite traces of fear in his voice.

"It's true. And I hope you won't have to find it out for yourself,", the Doctor retorted sharply.

"Why haven't you told me about them before, Doctor?", Rose asked.

"You didn't need to know. Until now,", said the Doctor gravely.

"But how can they just come alive?", asked Paul, still doubting.

"They are quantum-locked. They cease to exist whenever something is looking at them. But they come to life, no longer stone when you look away. That's why they're called the Lonely Assassins. They can never look at eachother, otherwise they will be locked in an eternal stare-down. But when one touches you, it doesn't kill you. It only transports you to another time, feeding off the temporal energy of the life you could have led if you had never been touched. In that way, they are the most merciful, yet the most cruel beings in the universe.".

Total silence.

"But why do we need to be afraid? The ones in this... world, thing, aren't real. This isn't the real world, you said it yourself, Doctor,", said John.

"This is the part that worries me. The image of an Angel becomes an angel. Even a paper photograph of an Angel can mean a life lost. And this is as good as real, this time, friends.".

Cold chills rushed down Rose's back.

"But there aren't any Angels above the crust of the planet, so what's the big panic?", Rose asked, though not really wanting to know the answer.

"If we get 'caught'. If we get 'taken under'...", added the Doctor. "I don't understand it, really. For the police, or whoever, to do that to a living thing, just for being caught out after dark...", shuddered the Doctor.

Just then, there was a great *BOOM!* like a bomb being dropped nearby, followed by another.

"What?!", said the Doctor, popping the lid off the bin and standing up to look around.

"What are you doing?! Get down!", exclaimed Rose, yanking on his trenchcoat.

He studied the sky as the rest of his group huddled together.

"Oh, no.".

The Doctor's voice had never sounded more grave.

"What?", said Rose.

No answer.

In a moment, the Doctor got back down.

"Oh no,", he repeated as he clapped the lid back over them.

"What?!", Rose repeated.

"Daleks. Squadrens of them. In the sky,", said the Doctor, dread in his voice.

"What?! It can't be! Not here!", Rose cried in disbelief.

"Yes.".

Another blast came nearby, and this time it was close enough that Rose heard the sound of the lasergun followed by the blast of the explosion.

Rose's stomach did flip-flops, and she felt the air turn ice cold.

"What's a Dalek?", Paul asked, totally thrown.

"Only the most vicious, the most ruthless being to ever live in the universe. They feed off hate. All they want is to wipe out the whole lot of creation just so they can reign supreme, the last to survive the Dalek's own reign of terror,", the Doctor rasped angrily.

Paul didn't ask anymore questions, only covered his ears and huddled with the rest of his band.

Just then, there was another blast so near that it rattled their bin. Rose covered her ears.

Then came another blast, this time causing them all quite a lot of distress; it blew the side of the bin out and tipped them over on their side.

They were all struggling against the rubbish that had been overturned on them to get back right-side-up, when the Doctor spoke.

"Everybody keep completely quiet. Don't move. Don't breathe,", he rasped quickly through his teeth.

Everyone obeyed without question.

Then Rose didn't have to try not to breathe. The sound she heard stopped her whole body for her.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINAAAAATE!".

The terrible voice seemed to be coming from not far above them.

"I. SENSE. A. HUUMAN. PRESENCE.".

Rose gulped.

"SEEK. LOCATE. DESTROY THE HUMANS. DESTROY THE HUMANS. DESTROY. DESTROY. DESTROY!".

Rose's stomach was doing gymnastics by that point, and she was frozen solid.

"WAIT. DALEK. BETT.".

It was another Dalek voice nearby.

"WHAT?".

There was an undertone of agitation in Dalek Bett's voice.

"YOU. MUST. REPORT. YOUR. HUMAN. FINDINGS. EVEN. THOUGH. THE. HUMANS. MUST. DIE. WE. MUST. SATISFY. THE. STONE. LORDS.".

Rose's heart was pounding in her ears so loudly that it almost blocked out the sound of the Dalek's tin body rolling down the alley towards them, so loudly that she was sure the other boys could hear it, too.

Then the Doctor did something totally unexpected.

"YUP! Lookie here, Dalek Bett! You've found us. Whoops! Better luck next time, boys,", he said to the other lads.

Rose felt her heart drop into her stomach. He just gave them away. Completely.

"Stand up, boys, it's all over now,", the Doctor added loudly.

"Has he gone mad?", rasped John.

No answer came.

They all eventually stood up and got out of the bin.

Silence all around.

The Dalek was now fully visible to Rose. It was an ironside, and only the blue light of it's eyestalk and the flashing lights on it's head were visable.

"AH. FIVE. HUMANS. MEN. FINE. FOR. SLAVES. ONE. WOMAN. AN. ANGEL. SHALL. FEAST. ON. HER.".

At the sound of Rose being the 'feast' of anything, the boys were all obviously very upset. They all seemed to close ranks around her protectively. Except for the Doctor. He had a plan. There was no reason to fear for Rose (if his plan worked, that is).

"We'll be glad to be slaves, won't we lads?", said the Doctor. "Exactly where will we be slaving? And for who?".

"SHUT. UP.".

"Okay, sorry, mate,", said the Doctor.

He had completely flipped, thought Rose.

The Dalek paused, and extended his suction-cup mechanism towards them, scanning.

"I. RECOGNIZE. THE. SMELL. OF... A TIIIIIMME LOOOOOOOORRRDDDDD!".

The Dalek's scream rang in all their ears.

"Yup. Your old metal brain is getting slow, Bett. So, what are we waiting for? Are we going to get to Dalek headquarters or not?".

He had completely flipped. The Doctor had flipped.

"YOU. WILL. CEASE. TALKING. I. DO. NOT. TAKE. ORDERS. FROM. TIME. LORDS.".

"Poof,", said the Doctor, mocking the Dalek, "Don't you just? Well, pshaw.".

"Doctor,", said Rose, sidling up to his side and rasping in his ear. "What are you doing?".

"THE. FEMALE. WILL. CEASE. AND DESIST.".

Rose gave him an indignant glare.

This Dalek was unusually sassy and seemed to prefer the inverse of the Dalek's golden rule; "Shoot first and ask questions later".

"What are you waiting for? Take us to your leader, Sonny Jim!", continued the Doctor.

"WHAT. IS. THE. MEANING. OF. THIS. EXPRESSION?!".

"I don't think we should make it angry,", said Paul.

"YOU. WOULD. DO. WELL. TO SILENCE. THE. BUMBLING HUMANS. WHEN. YOU. APPEAR. BEFORE. YOUR. LORDS.".

"Well, Bett,", said the Doctor, shifting cockily from side to side in front of the Dalek's eyestalk, "I'm starting to get impatient. Why haven't we been brought in for questioning? Why am I not before the Cult of Skaro? What are you stalling for? Hmm?".

"I. DO. NOT. ANSWER. QUESTIONS. FROM. TIME. LORDS.".

"You don't, do you?", laughed the Doctor. "Come on. What gives? I'm not used to this new Dalek chattiness. You're stalling. Why? Why haven't we been brought in? Or better yet, why haven't we been exterminated?".

The light in the Dalek's eyestalk squinted in what Rose interpreted as irritation.

Rose was now thoroughly confused. She had never known a Dalek to be anything but a terrifying metal bundle of rage and hatred. This one was... different.

"DALEK. SEC. IS. CURRENTLY. ENGAGED.".

"Poor girl,", John cut in, and the other boys started giggling.

"SILENCE. THE. HUMAN.".

The Doctor was not at all surprised that the computer in the mainframe of this training program was aware of the Time War between Daleks and the Time Lords. But there was one very important thing that he wished they had not forgotten.

This Dalek had no idea that he was the Doctor. He doubted that it was even aware that such a person existed. If the Doctor were found by a real Dalek, it would be a quick trip right to the Cult of Skaro, or one swift 'exterminate' for the glory and decoration of the Dalek 'blessed' with the privilege of murdering the Oncoming Storm.

His initial idea to get them saved from the Angels and to the Dalek battleship (which wasn't a tremendous improvement) would not work if his identity was unknown to this 'Dalek'. A light came into the Doctor's eyes. He had an idea.

"Listen, here, Dalek Bett, you need to watch who you're talking to.".

Dalek Bett just adjusted his eyestalk to take a closer look at John.

"I. DO. NOT. UNDERSTAND. THIS. IS. A MERE. HUMAN. I OWE. HUMANS. NO RESPECT.".

"Well, this one you might.".

Dalek Bett made a sort of grumbling noise, as if a little put out that he had to use his scanner again, and extended his suction cup towards John. He drew closer, and waved the scanner in his face. John backed away, not liking the looks of the inside of what to him looked like a toilet plunger on a chrome handle.

"SCANNING... DATA: JOHN. WINSTON. LENNON. BORN. 1940. A.D. EARTH. I. DO. NOT. COMPREHEND. WHAT. IS. SPECIAL. ABOUT. THIS. HUMAN? EXPLAIN!".

"Give it a go through the wireless mainframe up in the Dalek's big public library in the sky,", prodded the Doctor, referring to the Dalek intelligence mainframe, basically an enormous computer that programmed the knowledge of every Dalek.

Dalek Bett then made some sounds that sounded something like a combination between a phone dialing and a dial-up Internet connection firing up. He was stuck in calculations for a few seconds.

"JOHN. WINSTON OR 'ONO'. LENNON. 20TH. CENTURY. EARTH. MUSICIAN. ...PEACE. ACTIVIST.".

The Dalek seemed to have a hard time mustering up the guts to utter the word 'peace'.

"But his potential. Look at his influence,", said the Doctor.

The Dalek made more calculating sounds. He saw in his eyestalk things John had seen in his own life, but mostly things that he was yet to live. Crowds of thousands. Millions of record sales, worldwide (and eventually intergalactic) influence on millions of people. He saw and absorbed in a few split seconds hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and every piece of literature by, having to do with, or mentioning John. He observed that not even death would stop the reach of Lennon's work and influence.

There was a moment of silence.

"YOU. WILL. COME.".

There was a bright beam of light, and in a flash, they were teleported.


	10. Chapter 10

The first thing Rose became aware of was a gentle humming sound. Then the light of the teleport faded, and at length she could see again.

And when she did, she found herself in a medium sized chamber, the walls made of Dalekanium, and the ceilings low (Daleks had no need for the lofty headroom that humans required). Rose had little time to examine her surroundings inside of the Dalek battleship before a black Dalek emerged from around the corner.

"WHAT. IS. THE. MEANING. OF. THIS?".

This Dalek's voice was significantly lower.

"I. BRING. YOU. HUUUMANS. AND. A. TIME. LORD,", proclaimed Bett.

"... WHY?", spat the black Dalek impatiently.

"THEY. MIGHT. BE. USEFUL. IN. THE. WAR.".

"HUMANS? USEFUL? EXPLAIN. BEFORE. I. HAVE. YOU. DISASSEMBLED.".

"THEY. ARE. PUREBRED. HUMANS. AND. JOHN. LENNON. IS. HIGH. AMONG. THE HUUMANS. HIS. INFLUENCE. COULD. BE. USED. BY. THE. DAAALEKS,", said Bett. "AND. THE. TIME. LORD-".

"I. CAN. ONLY. APPRECIATE. ONE. KIND. OF. TIME. LORD. AND. THAT. IS. A. DEAD. ONE.".

"I. BELIEVE. YOU. UNDERESTIMATE. THEIR. POTENTIAL. TO. HELP. US. CONQUER. THE. HUMANS.".

"YOU. TAX. MY. PATIENCE. DALEK. BETT. YOU. ALSO. WASTE. MY. TIME. I. HAVE. AN. ATTACK. TO. ENGINEER. AND YOU. HAVE. HUMANS. AND. A. TIME. LORD. TO. DISPOSE. OF.".

"So, who are you filling in for, son?", said the Doctor, now taking a few steps towards the black Dalek.

"EXPLAIN. YOURSELF.".

"Oh, come on. It's no secret. Dalek Sec is busy. Who are you?".

"I. AM. DALEK. YAK.".

"Well, that's no surprise. You lot carry on a lot more yickity-yack than is usual for your sort. Whatever happened to exterminating?", said the Doctor, testing the Dalek.

"I. DO. NOT. HAVE. TO. EXPLAIN. MYSELF. TO. SUCH. A MEAGER. BEING. SUCH. AS. A TIME. LORD.".

"You don't, do you? Hmm. The Time Lords weren't so meager in the Time War, were they?", said the Doctor, now getting angry.

"Doctor,", said Rose, touching his arm. When the Doctor was in the presence of Daleks, he would sometimes get quite radical and take unnecessary risks.

The Doctor remembered his real purpose and backed off a little, and Yak simply narrowed his eyestalk in bitter remembrance.

"WOULD. IT. NOT. BE. A. WASTE. OF. RESOURCES. TO. THROW. THE. HUUMANS. AND THE. TIME. LORD. TO. THE. MINES?", continued Bett.

"MY. DECISION. IS. FINAL. IF. WE. HOLD. BACK. FROM. THE ANGELS. THEY. WILL. NO. LONGER. BE. SATISFIED. WITH. HUMAN. FLESH. THEY. WILL. HUNGER. FOR. YOUR. FLESH. DALEK BETT.".

Dalek Bett did not hesitate. He herded the humans to the other side of the room, on a large black platform. The Doctor knew what was about to happen.

"No! No! We can help! Please!".

Rose had never heard the Doctor speak in such a way to Daleks.

The Daleks did not listen. Yak only started back out of the chamber and Bett pressed a button beside the platform.

*ZAP!*

There was a bright flash of light, and then there was no light at all.

Rose felt cold. Very cold. She was shivering. And the fact that she couldn't tell whether her eyes were open or shut definitely didn't make her feel warmer.

"Link hands.". The Doctor's voice was barely audible and seemed to be coming distantly from her left, and his voice was as grave as she had ever heard it.

The first hand that Rose found was the Doctor's. She could tell that immediately. Then her right hand brushed against a suit sleeve, and it only took her a minute to find the hand that went with it. She knew who's it was; there were two large rings on the lateral-most fingers.

"Are we all here?", said the Doctor.

"Here,", said Rose.

"Here,", said Ringo.

"Here,", said John.

"Here,", said George.

Silence.

Rose's ears pricked up. Waiting for the fourth and last Liverpudlian voice to speak.

More silence.

The stillness of the darkness then rang in Rose's ears. She felt her stomach contract into a million knots.

"Where's Paul?", said John finally, voicing all their thoughts simultaneously.

There were several moments of silent panic among the party. Paul was no where to be found in the deep, deep darkness.

"Paul!", called George finally, though he and everyone else knew that there would be no answer.

"Shh! We will have a dozen angels upon us in a flat second if you call out,", scolded the Doctor.

"Where could he be?", asked Ringo.

"The teleport has a short. He got sent somewhere else in the mines. He could be anywhere over hundreds of square miles, all the way to the core of the planet.".

There was a moment of silence, and Rose's heart dropped all the way to the bottom of her stomach.

"We had so many songs to write. So much to do,", despaired John, mostly to himself.

"It's all right,", comforted Rose, though she was nearly as scared and confused as John.

"We need a light,", said the Doctor.

"Sonic screwdriver!", exclaimed Rose, a flicker of hope in her voice.

"Nope, no good. The sound would reverberate and alert the Angels.".

"How about a match?", offered John.

"Nope, the heat would draw them. If our own body heat hasn't already, which I would be shocked if it hadn't,", the Doctor replied grimly.

"I... I didn't think anything of it, but I might have something here that might help, I dunno,", George spoke up, fingering in his pocket.

"What is it, George?", asked the Doctor.

George passed the small object down the line to the Doctor. Rose felt it as she passed it to him. It was like a small, round, and flat object. The Doctor examined it blindly.

"What is it?", asked Ringo.

"I dunno, the girl at shop handed it to me. I haven't got to look at it in the light.".

There was a little clicking sound, and in a moment, there was a bright light emitted from the little object. Rose was too blinded and shocked by the sudden bright light that she couldn't even bear to look at the object squarely for several seconds. When all their eyes adjusted, they gave it a look.

"It's a... It's a makeup compact!", said Rose, almost laughing. There it was... their salvation in a little pink case. Rose took it in her hands to give it a look.

There was mirror on one side of the opened case, and a shallow pot that only had a few dusts of tan pressed powder left. Rose thought that the pot side looked rather thick, so she started prying at it with her fingernail. Sure enough, it lifted and there was a mirror on the opposite side as well, dusted rather heavily with the minerals that Betty was obviously extremely fond of. A small powderpuff fell out of that side.

"Maybe Betty's impractical makeup habits are actually good for something after all!", exclaimed Rose. The light that was mounted above the cleaner mirror was shockingly bright.

Rose turned the light and faced it outwards away from the party. What she saw took her breath completely away.

It was a deep, cavernous expanse about them. They were in fact standing on a narrow ledge, pressed against a wall (Rose thanked God that they hadn't taken a fancy to wandering around in the dark). There were endless shafts below leading into places that the light of the mirror could not shed light upon. There was no opposite side of the ravine, only darkness. Empty darkness. The tiny pathway on which they were standing had no railing or anything of that sort at all. Rose couldn't see anything ahead but a small pathway, leading along the narrow ridge into dark places unseen and unknown.

"Where are the Angels?", asked Ringo, finally, when everyone else was still speechless.

"They're not far. In the Mines of Wenx, they are never far,", replied the Doctor, starting to lead the line ahead.

"How are we going to find Paul?", George asked.

"I don't know,", was the Doctor's dismayed reply.

They said no more, because they knew there was nothing more to be said. They only had to look for the young McCartney, and hope.

They pondered along for some distance, the Doctor shining the light away ahead of them, and the rest of the party crowding up against him, though still single file in the narrow rock ledge. If anyone tried to walk abreast, there would soon be only four in their party of five. They still held hands for stability, and somehow, for comfort as if they were prepared to see an Angel any second.

There had been silence for this whole time. The loudest sounds were the sounds of the party's own breaths.

Suddenly, there was the faintest sound, like rocks falling a distance away, followed by a gentle, eery breeze that made the hairs on the back of Rose's neck stand on end. They all froze.

"What was that?", Ringo asked, and his hand turned cold in Rose's.

"Don't worry, Ring, it was probably just some rocks falling,", said George, though it was apparent in his voice that he was nearly as frightened as his friend.

Just as the last syllable of his sentence escaped his mouth, there was a short, muffled cry. It was coming from the back of the line.

They all whirled around, and the Doctor aimed the light back at them.

It was John. He was as white as a sheet, and his eyes were staring blankly ahead, and there was cold sweat suddenly forming on his brow.

"What is it?", he hissed, totally paralyzed and unable to look around.

Rose only had to look above his right shoulder to see what it was. It was an Angel. Petrified in stone, of course. It's mouth was open. It bore a sharp set of fangs.

"Just turn round... And look at it John," said the Doctor slowly, never taking his eyes off the Angel.

John gulped. He started ever so slowly to turn, but when he did, the light flickered in the makeup compact. It was only off for half a second, but when it came back on, John was looking the Angel squarely in the face, and it's hand, with long, stone claws for fingernails was petrified, frozen back to stone the instant before touching John's face.

"Don't stop looking at it, John. Just back away. Don't take your eyes off it,", said the Doctor, trying to sound calm for the sake of his friends.

"Look,", started the Doctor, still looking at the Angel. "You cannot take this man. To do that would be merciless slaughter. You have to let him go. And whatever you've done with Paul, we'll find him. There is nothing you can do to keep us from finding and saving him. You cannot consume the lives of any of these boys. Do you want to know why?".

The Angel, of course, had no visible reaction.

"If you did, it would kill you. Completely kill you. It would be enough to kill more than one of you. Your gluttony would kill you. These boys and Paul are four of the most influential men in all of human history. They're influence lasts centuries, Centuries! Their death doesn't stop the way that they touch and inspire the entire human race. And just think of all that! That would be like a hundred, a thousand Christmas dinners all rolled up into one for you lot. And you know what? If you tried to gobble all that up like the disgusting things that you are, it would kill you. It would blow you to pieces. When I said merciless slaughter, I wasn't just talking about John. So are you willing to take the life this man could have had along with your own?".

Suddenly, the light went out.

One thought rushed through Rose's mind in the moment in the dark; "John is gone".

In about the fifth second in the dark, Rose felt a tear roll down her cheek, and another couple forming in her other eye.

"He's gone,", she murmured.

The only sound that she heard was a sniff coming from her right. It was Ringo.

"What have I done?", whispered the Doctor to himself.

"'E can't be gone,", said George, his voice sounding strained as if he were fighting back tears.

"Are you sure that was a real Angel, Doctor? Maybe he's just back in the yellow submarine, out of the program,", said Ringo.

"The image of an Angel becomes an Angel,", the Doctor repeated.

"Oh, no,", said Rose, an empty feeling in her chest.

"But... 'E can't be gone,", repeated George, in denial. "'E's got a wife, and a kid, and the band. He can't be gone.".

Rose heard a few gasping sounds. Ringo was crying, though he was trying desperately to hide it.

They stood there, on a ledge darker than darkness, mourning their loss for a few minutes. Rose tried to comfort Ringo, though she herself was crying. George just stared into the darkness blankly. The Doctor let a silent tear trickle down his face.

"Wait!", the Doctor suddenly cried.

"What?", sniffed Rose.

"I heard something.".

Suddenly, to everyone's shock, the little light came back on.

The Doctor looked at it in his hand, he started smiling so widely he looked as though he was going to bust.

Then, there came to Rose's ears an ever-so-slight rustling, scuttling noise.

The Doctor shone the light in front of the party, where John had been standing. Rose squinted to look a little beyond the light and into the shadowed darkness. There was a figure, straggling, stumbling towards them. It definitely wasn't an Angel.

"John?", she said, looking harder.

"Greetings, Earthlings!", said a Liverpudlian voice.

"John!", Rose exclaimed, a huge smile spreading over her face. Her exclamation was echoed by everyone else in the party.

George and Ringo raced forward towards their friend. The horseplay ensued, giving John a playful ruffle of his hair and a few light punches in the shoulder.

They were all laughing with joy.

When John actually got a look at everyone's faces, he noticed that they were wet, and their eyes were red.

"You chaps haven't been crying, have you?", he furrowed his brow.

"No, no, it's just a bit, um, sultry down here, me eyes were sweating,", said George, now wiping his face with his hands that had turned cold in the in fact frigid atmosphere.

"Nevermind that,", said Ringo, now fervently wiping away all traces of his outburst with his sleeve. "How did you ever get away?".

"Oh, there was this sort of bright light, and then, it was sort of dark, and then I was back here.".

"When the Angel realized I wasn't lying, it released you before it was too late, though I imagine the Angel is pretty badly injured. Too much temporal energy for it. That's why it didn't have the power to retain it's hold on our light,", the Doctor said, waving the light of the compact a little.

"So we're safe?", said George, relieved.

"Not really. This Angel might have found out the hard way, but the rest of them won't know. They will have felt the energy transfer. They will be coming.".

"Did you happen to see Paul while you were away?", asked Rose doubtfully.

"Nope,", replied John.

"How are we going to find him, Doctor?", said Ringo.

"At first I thought he might be nearby, but there is little hope left in that theory. We're going to have to risk using the screwdriver,", said the Doctor. "We'll never find him stumbling around aimlessly like this.".

Rose was rather relieved. Now they actually had a chance of finding him.

"I should still have his statistics here from when we found him with the TARDIS,", mumbled the Doctor, fiddling with his screwdriver, handing the light to Rose.

In a few seconds, the screwdriver's little blue light was pulsing periodically out ahead of them and its buzzing noise that it made was in coordination with the light's pulsing.

"This way,", directed the Doctor.

They continued on the ledge. After a while, Rose noticed it gradually starting to descend downhill. The slop became steeper until each person had to cling to the wall with one hand as they walked to keep from sliding. Suddenly they came upon a drop-off. The path ended.

"What are we going to do now?", said Rose. The line was at a standstill.

"We're getting closer to him. It says he's straight... down,", said the Doctor, looking down into the darkness.

No one said anything.

"Ladies first,", said the Doctor, ushering Rose up to the edge.

"You what?", she said.

"We're going to jump.".

"WHAT?!", resounded from the entire group.

"We'll be quite safe. We've got to get down there somehow if we're going to save Paul.".

"Uhh,", said Rose.

"On you go,", said the Doctor.

Rose looked at him doubtfully.

"Trust me, Rose. I'm the Doctor."

Rose felt reassurance the minute he spoke those words, but it rather dwindled as soon as she took a look into the dark abyss below her.

Rose held her breath. She extended a foot out over the ledge. She squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to concentrate on Paul and saving him rather than jumping off a dark ledge. She took one short breath as she tilted her weight forward. Then, in a second, her other foot slipped away from the ground, and she fell. She expected to be falling fast, but when she dared to open her eyes, she discovered... She wasn't! She was hovering, slowly descending as if in a hot-air balloon. That part of it was a relief... But what wasn't a relief was how dreadfully dark it was. She looked above her, and the light the Doctor held was fading away in the distance. She couldn't believe how far she had apparently traveled downward. She didn't feel as if she were falling fast, but she must have been.

Then she saw another figure, then another start to fall above her. They were all a bit like feathers drifting gently to the ground, swaying soothingly side to side as they descended. Rose looked up again, and she thought she could see now four figures above her coming down. They kept drifting, and drifting, and Rose was starting to wonder what in the good world was going on with the gravity in these blasted mines.

*Oof*.

Rose had impacted on the ground unexpectedly. She lay there on her side, in total darkness, stunned for a moment. In about the same time difference as it was between their jumps, there impacted somewhere nearby another "oof" and a few grunts. The light the Doctor was holding was the last to land on the ground, and it was all Rose could see.

If it were possible, it was much, much darker than before down here. It made Rose's eyes uncomfortable. She kept blinking and blinking, looking in the opposite direction to the light, but she couldn't see anything. She actually thought that the insides of her eyelids were brighter to look at.

"Now that wasn't bad, that,", said John.

"Yeah, kind of fun,", said George laughingly.

"When they started digging the mines deeper and deeper, there were so many worker accidents, falling off the ever-narrowing ledges. There were so many casualties that it was investigated by the Intergalactic Laborer's Society. They threatened the close the Mines if they didn't either pay an enormous fine (the net worth of half the galaxy) or install the latest safety feature of the age; antigrav dampers.".

"Like are on the TARDIS?", asked Rose.

"Yeah, a bit. These antigravs are a network through the air, though. A bit like wifi. Though not really. No. Forget wifi,", rambled the Doctor.

"So where's Paul?", asked Ringo finally.

"Right,", said the Doctor, shining a light around. They seemed to be in a huge, endless ravine with no end in sight. "I don't know.".

Rose started walking to the edge of the light, assuming the other would be following her.

They minute she walked where it was starting to be too dark to see, she ran into something. It seemed like a long, long pole, reaching upwards.

"I found something!", she called back.

She felt it a little more. It was cold, like everything else in the place, but her fingers came upon a panel at about face-level to her. There was a button on it.

"I feel a button,", she said, starting to press it, in blind hope that it would somehow find Paul, or turn on a light, or save them all in some impossible way.

"NO ROSE DON'T PUSH THE BUT-", yelled the Doctor, but it was too late.

*ZZIIIPPP!*

Rose was gone.

"What's happened?!", said Ringo, rushing forward.

"She pressed the emergency teleport button that was used for workers who fell. But there are no emergency rescue buttons that actually get you rescued in a mine full of Weeping Angels,", said the Doctor grimly.

"Oh, no,", said Ringo.

"Oh, no indeed.".


	11. Chapter 11

Rose yet again came down with a thud on the floor of some place. She was getting rather weary of rough teleports and dark places, but when the bright light of the teleport faded from her eyes, she found she was in an actual lighted area. She couldn't tell much else at the first moment.

"Rose!", she heard.

She was too weary and her mind was too boggled by the teleport for the voice to register in her mind at that moment. But in a few seconds, she was forced to come to.

"SILENCE. BRING. THE. FEMALE. FORWARD.".

"What...", Rose stammered. Before she knew anything, she was being prodded into standing up by unknown metal hands. She didn't yet have the strength to stand, so she collapsed back to her knees. This didn't seem to hinder the metal hands, for they grabbed her by the elbows and dragged her mercilessly across the floor. They stopped, and dropped her back down on the floor without hesitation. She fell on her face, temporarily unable to help herself.

"Rose!", she heard again.

Her mind was clearing. There was a name that popped up in her mind, and it finally made it to her mouth.

"Paul?", she said, nearly at a whisper. Her vision cleared more, and she appeared to be in a stone cavern, lit by electric lights and the eyestalks of Daleks.

She looked before her, and there was a large black Dalek directly in front of her. She had no time to recover before her muscles tensed in fear. She turned her head, trying to struggle to her feet. What she saw was unpleasant.

Cybermen.

Cybermen!

This leg of the adventure just kept getting worse.

There were two Cybermen at her sides (who had apparently been the ones to drag her across the floor), and there were two more to her immediate left. They each were holding an arm, bracing a wriggling figure.

Rose craned her neck to see between the Cybermen, and she only got a slight glimpse before she knew for sure that it was Paul. He was covered in dust, had scratches on his face, and the Cybermen were restraining him. He was struggling against their grip.

"Rose!", he said again. "Don't tell them... Anything,", he cringed under the tightening grip of the iron hands.

"Tell them what?", she said.

"THERE WILL BE SILENCE!".

Rose shut her mouth, and so did Paul.

"NOW. THIS. IS. YOUR. LAST. CHANCE. TO. TELL. US. THE. WHEREABOUTS. OF. THIS. JOHN. LENNON. THAT. I. HAVE. RECEIVED. WORD. OF,", the black Dalek addressed Paul.

"I told you,", said Paul. "I don't know anyone by that name.".

He was a terribly pitiful liar. His voice cracked as he spoke, which made him sound rather like a little boy. His was beat-red, and sweat was rolling down his face and neck. Rose felt sorry for him. He didn't stand a chance.

"YOU. HAVE. MADE. YOUR. DECISION., HUMAN. IF. YOU. WILL. NOT. TAKE. US. TO. JOHN. LENNON., YOU. WILL. PERISH. RESTRAIN. HIM., MEN.".

The Dalek aimed his gun at Paul as he was suspended helplessly in the grip of the Cybermen. Struggling though he was, he could not break free.

Rose heard her heart beating in her ears like the loudest bass drum. She felt as though everything around her had lagged to slow-motion.

"EX-TER-MI-".

"NO! YOU CAN'T!", Rose screamed, kicking and screaming in the grip of the Cybermen.

The Daleks and the Cybermen alike ignored her.

Just then, one of those last-minute plans popped into her head, one like the Doctor might have.

"CYBERMEN!", she boldly shouted.

Dalek Sec paused, obviously getting impatient for the kill.

"Why should you let the Daleks make the kill?!", she demanded. "I don't know what kind of a stupid deal you've got struck here, but you humiliate the Cyber race, just doing what you're commanded to do by Daleks, no less! They are your enemies! Remember?", she shouted. There were no longer any traces of fear in her voice.

The Cybermen now looked from Rose to the Daleks in confusion.

"You know what you are? Lackies!", she continued. The tension in the air was now so thick you could cut it with a knife. "Why should you do all the dirty work, and then they get to make the kill?!".

If the Cybermen were capable of facial expressions, their faces would have displayed their arising burning anger.

"PAY. HER. NO. HEED., MEN. SHE. ONLY. WISHES. TO. DISTRACT. ATTENTION. FROM. THE. TASK. AT. HAND,", commanded Sec.

"No, I'm quite serious!", insisted Rose. "The Cybermen could rule the entire Universe if it weren't for the Daleks! There is no reason for you to fear them!", Rose said, now turning to her captors, who had loosened their grip substantially, staring in cyber-thought at the Daleks.

"MEN. SILENCE. HER,", Sec now insisted.

"Are you just going to let them steal all that from you?", said Rose, in her final shot.

"SILENCE!", commanded Sec.

"No. The female. Is... Right,", said the Cyberman directly to her left.

Rose could have whooped in triumph, but she kept her mouth shut.

The Cybermen released Rose and Paul, dropping them limply to the ground, and started for the Daleks.

"YOUR. LOYALTY. IS. LESS. THAN. YOU. HAD. CLAIMED. THIS. MEANS. WAR.".

With that, there was a great "EXTERMINATE!", and several "Delete! Delete!"'s.

Rose and Paul had rushed out of the way just in time to not get caught in the crossfire. They ran out of the chamber through a door, and it wasn't a full 30 seconds before there was a terrible explosion, blowing the door off its hinges behind them, and the concussion knocked them both to the ground. Rose felt the heat of the flames encroach upon them, and just then-

The sound of the explosion, so powerful that it had shaken her insides and seemed to stop her heart, she heard no more.

There was a great *ZAP!*.

Yet another white light. Though this one was different, for it did not fade back into darkness, but into a bright, warm light. Rose's eyes were still closed, her body still lying limp on the ground. When she gained feeling, so expected there to be pain of some kind. But there wasn't. Instead of pain, she felt against her skin... grass. She opened her eyes. She was on a field of green, luscious grass, extending for as far as she could see. She noticed Paul a few feet to her right, also lying in the grass.

Forgetting the non-reality of the computer program, she, at length, asked; "Are we dead?".

There was a great pause before Paul replied, "I dunno.".

They both just stayed there, not really caring at that particular moment if they were dead or not. They just rested. Then, in a few minutes, Rose felt a sudden surge of energy beset her body, and she sat up. Paul must have felt it too, for he rolled over in the grass, suddenly revitalized.

"I quite prefer this,", he said, folding his hands behind his head and looking up at the blue sky above leisurely.

"Yeah,", agreed Rose, rolling over onto her back.

She then furrowed her brow when she remembered.

"What happened to you, anyway?".

"Oh, I got sent to a dark place after we were on that spaceship, and then the Cybermen found me. They dragged me all the way to where the Daleks were. I guess that one up in the ship sent word to the leader that we were round, so he wanted a word.".

"We were worried sick.".

"You were?", he said, turning his glance away from the clouds and towards her.

"Yes. I mean, em, John was especially. He said you two have still got an LP to write,", she spoke before she thought. She didn't know if this Paul knew anything about writing the Hard Day's Night LP or not.

"Well,", he laughed, "I don't think he should worry about that. I've already got one coming on. If I ever get back to a piano it will be ready long before our next studio date,", he said.

"A song, you mean?", Rose asked.

"Yeah,", he said.

"What's this song about, then?".

"You'll just have to buy the LP, now, won't you?", he said cleverly, giving her a mischievous smirk.

"Won't I just?", she said challengingly.

"You will,", he said, turning back to the clouds.

Rose liked Paul. They both had the same kind of teasing humor that she and the Doctor had.

"Have you seen the seven wonders of the world, Rose?", he suddenly asked her.

"And my bird can sing,", she replied.

"What?", he said.

"Nothing... No, I don't think so. I've only seen...", she trailed off, counting on her fingers. "Five. I don't usually count them up.".

Paul smirked a little.

"Life's too short to count the days, the trips, the hours,", he added. "You've just got to live life for right here, right now.".

"I think that too,", Rose agreed.

ZAP!


	12. Chapter 12

Rose found that in an instant, the warm grass under her turned into cold hard metal. There was not much of a white light, and Rose saw pretty immediately where she was this time - the yellow submarine.

She and Paul were sitting on the floor beside the little periscope that wasn't a periscope, and the rest of the company was standing in front of them, the Doctor holding his screwdriver.

"Doctor!", exclaimed Rose.

"Rose!", he replied.

"Paul!", all the boys cried.

"Lads!", Paul replied.

Rose raced up to the Doctor and attacked him with a hug while the boys helped Paul up off the floor.

"So it's all over then,", said Rose, with slight regret, but also with relief.

"Sure is. And now we know why this place was abandoned. The program was infiltrated by Angels.".

"I'm glad you're back, mate,", said John to Paul. "I think I've got an idea or two rattling around for some new songs, and I need some help working out the chords.".

"I've got a tune or two of my own. I think I've got most of it done up here,", said Paul, tapping his temple with his forefinger.

"So, where to now?", said the Doctor leading the group back to the TARDIS, still loyally waiting, parked down the corridor.

"I'm pretty hungry,", said Ringo, to which all the other boys agreed.

"Then I think it's time we went to a good old-fashioned cafe,", said the Doctor as the entered the TARDIS.

"But we can't go to a cafe at home,", said George, and the rest of the boys deflated a little, remembering the reality of their chaotic lives. "We'll get recognized.".

"Oh, I dunno,", said the Doctor coyly. "Maybe not today.".

They had scarcely stepped up to the console, and the Doctor initiated takeoff.

When they had landed (and released their white-knuckle grip on whatever was near them), the Doctor galloped out the doors, brandishing his screwdriver. He stepped just outside, pointed his screwdriver straight up into the air. He pushed the little button, and the screwdriver lit up.

The boys might have asked Rose what in the world he was doing at the beginning of this day, but they were coming to know the Doctor, so they said nothing. He was uniquely strange, whimsical, and wonderful.

"All right, let's go get something to eat,", said the Doctor, motioning the boys out.

They all flooded out the little blue box, and they found themselves on a familiar London street.

"Carnaby Street? Are you mad?", said George, starting to pull back towards the box when he recognized where they were. "They'll have to call the police to break up the mob!".

"No, we're all right. Come on,", prodded the Doctor, ushering him out into the crowd of fashionably dressed people. "I think there's a cafe round here somewhere...".

The boys were at first very hesitant to step into the crowd, afraid of getting their hair pulled out and their clothes ripped to pieces by girls, but then, they realized. They had just walked by at least a dozen young girls and a few young men, and they hadn't even given them a second glance.

Just then, another young man stepped up beside Paul. Paul prepared himself for the worse.

"Nice boots, man.".

"Ta,", said Paul.

The young man walked on.

Paul sighed with relief, but he could barely believe what had just happened. He gave Rose an inquisitive look, but Rose just shook her head.

In a minute or so, they arrived at a cafe, and the Doctor opened the door for all of them. They stepped inside, and sat down in a vacant booth.

A waiter in a white apron stepped up with a pen and paper.

"Ready to order, fellows?", he asked. "And lady,", he added after noticing Rose.

"Yes,", said the Doctor. "I think I'll have a milkshake. Shaken, not stirred.".

"I'll have the same, but chocolate,", said Rose.

All the other boys took the same, except Ringo. He ordered chips, which they all ended up sharing.

"So... how did you do it?", John finally asked.

"Oh, I just set a perception filter. No one will recognize you boys until I turn it off,", said the Doctor shortly.

There was a thoughtful silence on all parts.

"I don't suppose... I don't suppose you could never turn it off?", said George quietly.

The Doctor gave them a rather sad half-smile.

"You boys may not think it now, but you have changed and will change so many lives. I couldn't risk the effect on the human race. You and your music bring so much happiness to so many people. If you weren't there, a lot of things would be different.".

The boys just quietly chewed their chips.

"You really mean that?", said John. "You mean that we really matter that much?".

The Doctor then realized he might be on the verge of revealing way too much.

"Everyone matters, boys. Remember that.".

"But what about what you said to that Angel? Is that true?".

The Doctor simply gave a look to Rose before adding, "Well, let's say this; If I had taken the Stones on, that all would have been true.".

At this the other boys deflated totally, and John looked especially displeased.

They finally raised their head to look at the Doctor, and the Doctor slipped a wink and a crooked grin. George smirked, Paul smiled as he reached for another chip, John looked rather relieved that he was kidding, and Ringo laughed.

After several minutes of quiet sipping and munching, Ringo was the one to speak up.

"I don't suppose you could tell us about where you live, Rose?".

"Oh, you know,", said Rose. "It's nothing special.".

"Of course it is!", exclaimed the Doctor. "It's a charming little flat, with a well-stocked kitchen, a comfy sofa, and a nice big window in the parlor.".

"You forget the ripped cushions on the sofa, the old carpets, and the loo that won't always flush,", Rose said laughingly.

"It sounds lovely,", said Paul.

"It sounds like home,", added John.

"And we didn't even mention the murderous Christmas tree last year!", cried Rose, which erected a charge out of the Doctor.

"Yes, that was a Christmas, wasn't it?!".

"Yeah! Mum is still trying to get someone in to patch the sliced holes in the walls. It wouldn't be such a fond memory if Mickey would have gotten decapitated.".

When the Doctor and Rose turned back away from their memory, they found eight eyes staring blankly at them, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh, um... Well, the Earth was invaded on Christmas Day last year, and the Doctor was unwell, he was staying in my and my mum's flat, he'd just regenerated, and there were these aliens that were looking for him... and they sort of infiltrated my house with a weapon disguised as a Christmas tree. And Mickey is... um, he's an old friend. He went away. A long way away.".

The boys just gave a few nods of understanding. They were amused by their new friend's stories.

"Oh, Doctor,", said Rose, a sudden look of realization in her face.

"What?".

"We should have all the boys over! I could call my Auntie Faye, and my mother could finally use that large kettle that Jim bought her 2 years ago...".

"One problem.".

"What's that?", said Rose, knowing to be discouraged by the Doctor's 'sorry, you're forgetting _' look .

"Your building doesn't exist yet. Your mother barely does.".

"Oh. Right.".

"Pity,", said George, shaking his head.

Just then, they realized that the cafe was getting quite busy, and they had been sitting with empty glasses and their order of chips polished off for some minutes. The waiter came up.

"Sorry, are you kids quite finished? I need this table.".

"Oh, yeah, sorry,", said the Doctor.

After a few moments of arguing over who would pick up the check, the Doctor won out, but then realized that he had no money whatsoever (as usual). So John used the coins that he had tried to use on the jukebox on Kentor, and they were off and walking down the street once again.

Just then, Paul spoke to Rose; "You wouldn't want to go see a film now, would you?".

"I would love to,", said Rose.

Just as Paul was starting to take Rose and make a turn down another street away from the group, the Doctor called behind them.

"Where're you kids off to?".

Rose didn't mind, but she felt Paul sigh a little.

"To the cinema.".

"A film! Wonderful idea! Come on, lads!", the Doctor motioned with his arm for the rest of the group to follow along.

"Well, I thought maybe-", started Paul gently.

"The cinema! I love the cinema! Smell of warm popcorn in the air, some kid kicking the back of your seat, but you don't care! Ah! The cinema!", sniffed the Doctor contentedly.

"I really was-", started Paul again.

"Another brilliant idea from the brilliant mind of McCartney!", said the Doctor, giving Paul's hair a playful ruffle.

Paul sighed a little, put on a smile, and gave up.

A posse of six walked into the theater.

They chose to see 'Charade' with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Rose had seen it before, but there was something really magical about seeing it back when it was new in the movie theater.

The Doctor was hefting a very large paper pouch of popcorn, and had ended up sitting next to Rose (through a quite unrecountable scene in which there was quite a lot of awkward maneuvering and some popcorn mishaps). And Rose was on the isle. Paul had ended up sitting between Ringo and the Doctor. His slight irritation and disappointment was apparent in his face. But the Doctor was totally oblivious.

"Better luck next time, mate,", whispered Ringo, giving Paul a little punch in the arm as the picture was starting.

They made it through the picture quite enjoyably, and it was dark once they left the theater.

"That was a good film, wasn't it?", said the Doctor.

"Yeah, yeah,", agreed George. "And Miss Hepburn wasn't bad either,", he said, whistling.

"I quite like her,", said Rose. "But for quite different reasons than you do,", she affirmed, laughing at George.

They walked on down the street in darkness, enjoying the serenity and peacefulness of the night on the real, genuine Earth.

But then. There was a great realization among the boys. They walked past a group of girls, walking and chattering. There were no screams, no crying, no fainting, not even a wide-eyed look from any of them.

"You know what I think, lads?", said John, finally.

"What?", they replied, though they were all thinking it already.

"I don't think I ever want to go back,", said John, dancing a jig gleefully in front of them on the pavement.

The other boys were laughing and whooping and hollering and joined in the ridiculous dance, bobbing along the pavement, and John even did a few cartwheels (which caught the attention of a bobby standing guard on the opposite side of the street).

There came up another group of teenagers, and when they passed by, only giving the boys queer stares, this only promoted their celebration.

Suddenly, Paul's expression turned to one of alarm.

"Shi-", he began to exclaim.

"Oi! What'd I tell you about swearing, Paul?", interjected the Doctor.

"Yeah, especially in front of a lady,", added George.

"Shame on you, Paulie,", said John, pulling a ridiculous face that Paul couldn't help but laugh at.

"Thanks, Dad,", laughed Paul to the Doctor.

"What's up?".

"I just realized. We're missing our own show.".

Just then, they arrived back at the TARDIS, glowing its friendly glow.

"It's a time machine, mate. We can stay out as late as we want!", cried Ringo.

The Doctor then decided it was time to bring them back to Earth.

"You could go back to the theater whenever you wanted. The way it is now, no one would know who you were. No one would listen to your music, and you would never sell another record. And as a result, you could never make another record.".

This had the intended effect.

"You mean... we would have to start all over?", asked George quietly.

"Not only that. But with the filter set, if anyone ever learned who you were, they would be forced to forget. And another thing; your own families would not recognize you. And you would have to rebuild your entire lives.".

This struck an even stronger chord.

They stood in silence for a few moments. Rose looked at all the boys, and they just stared at the pavement thoughtfully.

"Well,", sighed John, taking the lead. "It's time to get back to it, boys,", he said rather sorrowfully, but tried to put on a grin for his friend's sake.

"I'll take you back to the theater,", said the Doctor, unlocking the TARDIS.

"But, but Doctor,", stammered Paul helplessly.

"Yes?", the Doctor turned, the light of the TARDIS filtering through his hair as he looked round.

"Will we ever see you again after this?".

Rose then suddenly felt very, very sad.

The Doctor bit his lip a little. "Oh, yeah,", he replied shortly, and then bolted into the TARDIS.

None of the rest of the party knew whether to take this with a grain of salt or a very large grain of salt.

"Rose,", said Paul, stopping her before she could get into the TARDIS.

"Yeah?".

"Here's my telephone number. If you're ever back here again, I'd like to see you,", he said, handing her a paper napkin from the cafe with number written on it.

"I'd love that,", replied Rose. Then she turned and pulled a napkin out of her own pocket.

"Here's my address. Come and see me whenever you can.".

He accepted the note, but looked rather discouraged.

"But I thought that your building doesn't even exist yet?".

"It doesn't. It gets built in the early 80s. I'm born in '87. I'll live there with my mum at least until 2006.".

"I'm sure I'll find some way to spend 24 years,", he said, trying to hide his real emotions behind a smile and a wink.

"Oh, I think you will,", she said rather knowingly.

Rose smiled, tried to swallow the lump in her throat, and hoped that someone would say something funny right about then to curb the tears forming in her eyes.

She hadn't realized how fond she could become of new friends in one day. A long day, albeit, but just one day. She knew it was illogical, but she wished that all four of the boys could just keep travelling with her and the Doctor. She didn't know that anyone else besides the Doctor could be that enjoyable to travel with. She knew now that it would be lonely without them. She didn't like to think of not seeing them again. But she knew the Doctor, and she knew the rules of time. The Doctor would not risk changing the boys' lives completely by making them permanent fixtures around the TARDIS. She wanted them to become part of the group (well, the group of two), but then at the same time she didn't want to interfere with the lives that she knew they had ahead of them.

Rose barely noticed the TARDIS take off and land. She was too deep in thought.

When they had materialized outside of the back door of the theater, everyone stepped out into the chilly December morning, the same thick gray overcast that she had seen before over London, snowflakes gently fluttering to the ground. Rose had barely set foot out of the TARDIS when she looked straight down and saw a fresh, smoking cigarette on the ground. Her eyes looked back down the alley, and she saw the shapes of George and herself leading Paul around the corner, en route to the TARDIS.

"But... It's morning,", said Paul in amazement. "And is that my ciggie?", he said, pointing down at the half-smoked cigarette, a small flame glowing inside of it.

"Sure is. It's like you were never gone. But I wouldn't recommend finishing that,", said the Doctor, nodding to the cigarette.

"Right,", said Paul, pulling his carton and lighter out of his jacket pocket.

The Doctor laid his hand on Paul's hand, pushing it back in his pocket.

"They're bad for you, those.".

"Oh, come off it, you! You mean you don't smoke?", scoffed Paul (though he didn't try reaching for his carton again).

"Nope. The closest I ever came to smoking was playing a faulty kazoo a little too zealously.".

Paul laughed heartily and so did the rest of the boys.

"So. I guess this is goodbye,", he said after the laughter settled down.

"I guess it is,", said the Doctor.

"Yep.".

Everyone's eyes just seemed to search in the snow flurries falling around them.

After a few hard moments, Rose stepped forward and gave Paul a hug. She let an unseen tear absorb in his jacket.

"Until the next time, eh?" he said after she she stepped back. He was wearing a crooked grin.

"Sure. Absolutely,", she said, plastering on a smile that turned into a real one after a few moments.

"Bye, Paul,", said the Doctor, giving him a firm handshake and a smile.

"Goodbye, Doctor. And thanks for one of the best days of my life,", Paul's face was bittersweet but completely sincere.

"You are very, very welcome, Sir Paul McCartney,", said the Doctor earnestly, not able to stop the urge to give him a little something to think about after they left.

"Uh, I-", said Paul, a little confused.

"But we must be going now,", said the Doctor, cutting him off before he could ask questions. "And you've got a show to put on tonight.".

Paul just nodded and smiled.

"Goodbye, Doctor,", he said as the Doctor was stepping back into the TARDIS.

The other Beatles started to get back inside the TARDIS as well.

"Wait! Where are you fellows going?", demanded Paul after he realized they weren't following him.

"Well, we hoped you wouldn't ask,", said George, not quite knowing how to explain.

"It's just... We're ourselves from the future. And you're the only one from '63,", said Ringo.

Paul was now unable to speak for several seconds. He just stammered, pointing between all his bandmates.

"You mean... that you're... And I'm... But you're...?!".

"You put your finger on it, mate,", affirmed John.

Paul could say no more, he just eventually decided to just give the rest of the boys a playful salute, and stagger in disbelief to sit back down on the concrete step.

"See you next year, friend!", they exclaimed as they stepped inside the police box and closed the door with a friendly little click behind them.

Paul watched and listened in wonder as the box took off, making it's sound that he would never quite forget, the lamp on top flashing, a turbulent wind sifting through his his hair and gently blowing his jacket.

He sat there for several seconds as it disappeared, a part of him wishing that he had not let his new friends and all the adventures he could have had slip away, but mostly grateful. Just grateful.

In a few minutes more, there would come back to the mind of the young McCartney a tune that he had thought up while on his adventure. He would fly back into the back door of the theater in search of a piano as fast as his feet could carry him before this new song fled from his mind. But this one wouldn't, I think.

As he left the step, there was still a cigarette, now burned down to the butt, gently smoking in the frigid December air.


	13. Chapter 13

As the rest of the group was piling back into the TARDIS, the Doctor felt that there was a need to give the very ending to their adventure a final flare.

John, Ringo, and George were all laughing and talking, trying to keep the mood light, and Rose was laughing at their jokes and banter, but it was apparent in her face that she was sad that her new friends had to leave her.

They were all settling in around the console when they realized the Doctor wasn't making any move to take off.

"How would you lads like to fly her?".

"You what?", said John in disbelief.

"You mean... You'd let us fly it?", said George.

"Show us how!", said Ringo, stepping up to a few levers which had had absolutely no idea what their function was.

"Right!", said the Doctor, flipping down a switch, and there was a bright 'dong' that sounded a bit like a gong.

"First, let's have you here, Lennon,", said the Doctor, pulling him over to a panel of levers, and one that looked a bit like a manual transmission gearshift out of a car.

"You'll operate the transmission. Shift up when you hear it start to drag. But keep in mind, 3rd gear doesn't work, it'll only grind, and then the whole console will get hot. So try to shift on up to 4th as quick as you can. Also, keep this valve going,", he said, pointing to what looked like a bicycle tire airer-upper protruding from under the console.

John seemed more excited than daunted.

"It has a transmission?", said Rose, mostly to herself.

"Sure. I usually set it to automatic. But we want to have some fun this time,", said the Doctor raising his eyebrow up and down until he made everyone laugh.

"All right, Ringo, my lad, you'll be in charge of antigravs,", he said, standing the drummer in front of a small switchboard with a large red lever in the middle.

"I thought those operated automatically?", said Rose, yet again confused.

"Yeah. They're supposed to. But the auto-equalizer broke on that last flight. Not to alarm anyone, it'll be up and going again in no time...", he said. "So, Ringo, hold the lever right where it is, don't let it wobble, otherwise we might... get lost in space, or something.".

Ringo turned and gave the others a queer look. George giggled.

"Also, Ring, you might need these,", he said, tossing Ringo a pair of blackened oven gloves. "Gets a tad warm,", he said, jabbing a finger in the direction of the lever. "And also,", he added, pointing to two faucet knobs attached to the console. "Adjust the temperature as I tell you.".

"All right, breaks will take care of themselves... hopefully,", said the Doctor, whizzing about the console, turning off almost all vital safety settings to make it more of an adventure.

"So. George,", he said, taking George by the shoulders and placing him by the typewriter. "Take us home, mate.". George feasted his eyes on the piece of paper in the typewriter, nearly full of place names and times that had been typed in. He understood what he was supposed to do.

"Oh, and Rose, the thermocupling hoses. I need them to work to land. And they're leaking hydraulic fluid. Could you... perhaps...?", stammered the Doctor, knowing Rose wouldn't like what he was about to ask.

"Okay...", she resigned, popping up a panel of the grated flooring and climbing underneath to hold the hose connections together.

"I sure wish I would have thought of this while Paul was still with us, I'd turn off the cabin equilibrium tubes and he could operate that manually,", said the Doctor thoughtfully.

'Good for Paul for getting out of here early', thought Rose. She smiled to herself. It would have been fun, though.

"All right, crew!", shouted the Doctor, obviously quite pleased that he had a 'crew'. "So, Ringo, you just keep your hand right there, and adjust the temperature as I tell you, don't forget your gloves, mind; John, you wait for my queue to start, George, likewise, and Rose - hold 'em tight. So, are we ready?".

Everybody shouted 'Yes!", and they were off.

"2, 3, 4,", counted off the Doctor. Then he slammed down the release lever. They were floating aimlessly in the vortex, all automatic features completely turned off. And they could tell it. All the valves and levers were either jerking around violently or had become incredibly and stubbornly stiff.

"And John!", he pointed. John started vigorously operating the bicycle tire valve and shifted up into first gear with tremendous difficulty.

"And Ringo!", he queued. Ringo was fighting to keep the lever steady (and to keep it from pulling his shoulder out of joint). "I need some really cold water!", directed the Doctor. Ringo then half expected there to be water coming out of something when he adjusted the lever, but nothing like that happened. The Doctor, as usual, didn't feel like trying to explain the incredible complexity of the machine (and his use of Earth household appliances as parts).

"And George!", he shouted. George then started to type as fast as he could (which wasn't extremely fast); '2nd of March, 1964. Marylbone Station, London, Great Britain, Earth'.

Soon, John shifted up gears, and they started to pick up speed rapidly. They were tossing from side to side violently (as per usual) and the Doctor was cackling gleefully.

"Brilliant, men!", said the Doctor. "And Rose,", he added.

Rose was watching all this from under a large tangled mess of hoses and electric chords under the console.

The Doctor spun the monitor around to where he could see it, and clinging to the handle bars, judged their distance from their destination (the automatic proximity detector had been temporarily dismantled as well).

"John! Take us down! Ringo, I need lukewarm! George! Tab!", he shouted to all of them.

John started shifting down, Ringo adjusted the stubborn knobs as best he could with the oven gloves on, and George finally understood what the Doctor meant. He pushed the 'Tab' button on the typewriter firmly.

"John! Neutral!", the Doctor yelled above the now deafening sound of the TARDIS trying to materialize. "Ringo! Boiling HOT! Antigrav lever starboard! Rose, hold those hoses! George!", he shouted, handing him a huge rubber mallet from under the console. "Hit the break capacitor!", he said, pointing to what looked like a glorified rusty bolt sticking up out of a chrome-lined hole in the console.

Everyone obeyed their commands, and the TARDIS let out quite a 'VWORPPP!' after George clubbed the breaks.

Then all was still. And then -

BOOM!

They had materialized. But the inside of the TARDIS jerked so violently that Rose had been thrown from her position under the hoses, and her grip weakened. Unfortunately for her, right after a landing is when the most hydraulic fluid starts draining back out of the hoses and back into the matrix pool. And it drains quite quickly.

"AH!", a scream escaped Rose as she became quickly covered with black, oozing hydraulic fluid.

"Rose!", cried the Doctor, reaching under the console and dragged her out after tightening the hose ends back.

The boys couldn't help but laugh. Rose's jacket was completely saturated in black, viscous, stinking, oily fluid.

"You all right?", said John after the initial laughter settled (which included Rose's).

"I should have known better...", she said.

"It wasn't your fault, Rose,", said the Doctor, suppressing giggling.

"Well. This is a fine state for you to remember me in,", she said, turning to the boys.

"No, you look fine. Black is your color,", said George. He tried very hard not to laugh, but it finally escaped him, and it spread to the rest of the boys.

They all started walking to the doors.

"Well, Doctor... This was fun. Really top,", said Ringo as he put his hand on the knob reluctantly. "I'll miss you two,", he said rather more soberly.

"I have a feeling not for very long,", said the Doctor.

"Yeah, he's right. I've got the feeling, too,", agreed George, trying to keep the mood as light as possible.

"Well... This was boss. I can't wait to tell Cynthia...", started John. "Oh wait. Maybe I won't. She might send for a doctor,", he laughed.

"Can I just say...", said Rose. "Out of all my days travelling with the Doctor, this has been one of the most special days of them all.".

Tears started to form in all their eyes, and there were a few moments of silent standing and nodding.

"I hope I'll see you all again, but if I don't...", Rose sniffed a little. "Good luck. That's all. Good luck.". Then Rose thought of something. "And if you ever end up with any first-pressing LPs of yours you can't get rid of, send them to Faye Shephard in Notting Hill. She loves you guys. You and your music made her a very happy young lady... for about 50 years,", Rose laughed, realizing that Auntie Faye always seemed at her youngest when she listened to her old records.

The Doctor laughed.

"Tell her thanks, but who is she?", asked Ringo.

"She's my aunt. And without her, I don't think any of this would have happened,", said Rose.

"We'll remember it,", they all agreed.

"And lads,", the Doctor stopped them (though they weren't very eager to go in the first place), "If you ever need any help, call this number. I'll come,", he said, handing John a piece of paper.

"Thanks,", he said, trying not to get emotional. He tore a small shred off the bottom of the paper, and took out a pen and wrote on it. He handed the Doctor the shred back.

"And if you ever need any help, call this number. We'll come,", replied John.

The Doctor just gave a sober nod and tucked the paper into his inside suit pocket.

"So... I guess that's that,", said Ringo. But they still made no move to go out the door.

"Well, before this turns into a big affair, I think we'd better had get back to work, don't you think, lads?", said George to the others.

"Good idea, George,", agreed John.

"Well... Thanks. And good luck, whatever else you do,", said Ringo, turning to the door, and finally leaving before it became even harder.

"Goodbye!", the Doctor and Rose called behind them.

John was the last one out, and he gave them a crooked salute, and a flash of a peace sign with his index and middle fingers before closing the door behind himself with a gentle click.

The boys found themselves back outside on the street that they had been running down for the scene what seemed like weeks ago.

The first thing that they saw was a young man running down the street (that was still blocked off) towards them. As he got closer, they realized it was Paul.

"Lads! Where've you been?! I -", Paul stopped dead in his tracks. He saw the blue box.

"It was today for you,", he breathed, looking over the other boys with wonder.

Just then, a gentle breeze, the same one that Paul had felt four months ago, started blowing, and the TARDIS started disappearing, and the groaning noise that Paul wasn't sure he would ever hear again sounded in his ears.

He started to run up to the door instinctively, knowing it would probably be the very last time he would have a chance of seeing Rose and the Doctor, but John caught him by the shoulder.

"I think you'll see them again.".

"Yeah,", said Paul, straightening his tie that had caught in the breeze. "I might do.".

In a few more short and wondrous seconds, the TARDIS was gone, and only a few stray pieces of paper and some dust particles were blowing around in the street in what was a small taste of the turbulent, untamed winds of the time vortex.

"I suppose we'd better get back to work,", said Ringo, turning back towards the train station. "Lester's probably losing his mind.".

"Yeah, I think he's already there. But wait a minute, boys, before we get back to work, I need to show you something. I just finished it since you've been gone. You made us stop shooting, and the break finally gave me a chance to polish it up. It was difficult to work out the lyrics alone. I knew I couldn't show it to you until now,", said Paul, pulling a batch of rumpled papers out of his pockets.

"What is it?", said George.

Paul handed the crumpled pieces of plain paper over to the rest of them. At the top of the page, it read in Paul's scrawled handwriting; 'Rose'.

Rose couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy at going back into the TARDIS without a posse of other people. Now it was just her and the Doctor once again. Though that was always enough. She knew she would soon just have to get on and get back to business as usual. But she would never forget her memories she had made that day.

The Doctor milled about the TARDIS, turning back on all the settings he had disabled to make the ride back to 1964 more fun. Everything was a bit sad about the TARDIS; the glow not quite as cheerful, the humming sound not quite as bright. The TARDIS missed them too.

"So where to now?", asked the Doctor after several minutes of idle orbit and silence as Rose returned from the inner quarters of the TARDIS from changing her jacket.

"Home, I think,", said Rose.

"Home it is,", said the Doctor, hoping to himself that Rose wasn't too terribly upset.

It was a quick smooth journey. Rose was relieved. She was afraid that rough riding wouldn't feel quite as fun at that moment.


	14. Chapter 14

Rose stepped back out into the lot behind her building on a day that was warm and sunny, but there was a slightly brisk feel to the air that only came with spring. It was a bit breezy, as much as it ever was in the crowded city environment, with high-rise buidlings cutting off the wind.

"I'll just lock up, you go on,", said the Doctor from behind her as he usually did when taking her home for a visit.

"All right,", she said.

She was walking across the lot to the stairs entrance when she saw something unusual; a black stretched limousine parked sideways in the lot to her right. On her left, there was an older-looking man, just coming out of the stair entrance. He had his head down, and was walking at a leisurely pace back to what Rose assumed was his vehicle.

Rose just walked on, assuming whoever the man was and whatever his business there was was none of hers.

She walked on, shoving her hands in her pockets, minding her business.

Just then, she noticed the man change his course slightly. He was now heading straight for her, and rather rushing. Rose was confused for a moment. She stopped.

The man drew closer. Rose observed his face.

"Paul?", she said.

He just smiled. He stepped right up to her, looking her over thoroughly. It was a bit strange for Rose, for she had seen him as his former self not an hour ago, and he hadn't seen her for 40 years.

"You're just the same. To the last freckle,", he said, pointing out playfully a small birthmark on the side of her nose.

"Paul, you're - ", Rose started.

"I know, I got old,", he said, laughing lightly.

Rose nearly replied with the usual 'no, you look incredible!' response, which would have been true in his case, but she didn't feel that that was what she wanted to say at that moment.

She just stood, studying his face; he had gotten older, obviously, but he was very much the same in many ways.

"I wanted to come so many times before, but I wanted to see you again, the same you that I met before. I only wish it could have been the same not-old me,", he said. He was barely smiling, but he was glowing like a lamp in the night. Anyone could tell he had been waiting for this day to come for a long time.

Paul's eyes then lifted from Rose over her head to see a sight he hadn't seen in a while; the Doctor, frocked in his brown trenchcoat and dirty white sneakers, hair as tall as ever, leaning with his back against the TARDIS. Paul slowly raised a hand and waved to his old friend. The Doctor waved back.

"Do come inside,", said Rose, finally finding words, motioning back towards her building.

"Oh, I've already been up. I'm not sure your mother's weak heart could handle another visit,", he smiled. "I didn't want this to be a big scene, I just wanted to give you this. And say thanks. For the very best of times,", he said, retrieving a small cream envelope from his inside jacket pocket, offering it to her.

Rose accepted the envelope, nodding in understanding.

"Tell them who you are. I want you to have it. For keeps.".

Rose looked a bit confused.

"You'll understand,", he smiled, answering her before she asked.

Rose found herself yet again without words, though that seemed quite alright with Paul.

"Well, jolly good, then,", he said, taking in a deep breath and patting his pockets. "I suppose that's that. Mission accomplished. I can take that off me to-do list. It's been on there for a while,", he said, trying to erect a laugh from Rose.

She smiled.

"I think I'll be off,", he said, turning to his awaiting car.

"Paul,", Rose called after him.

He turned.

"I just wanted to say...", Rose forgot everything that she had been trying to put together in her mind this whole time. She decided to end it on a light note, as they did last time.

"It was totally boss, man,", she said, giving him a broad smile.

He snapped his fingers and pointed back at her with both hands. "I can dig that.".

Rose let a laugh escape her. With that, he walked off, and got into his limo. Rose watched as it drove off, waiting until it rounded the corner and was totally out of sight.

She stood there, thoughtful for a moment. Then, a warm, happy feeling came over her. She was so grateful to have had this experience. She could have continued being down because it was over as she was before, but then she realized; she should smile. Because it happened.

She raced back over to the TARDIS, grabbed the Doctor's hand, and took off running with him across the lot, inside and up the stairs.

Rose opened the door to her flat without knocking. Her mother got quite upset when she knocked ('It's like you're a stranger or something now, it makes me quite upset', her mother had commented on her knocking when she had tried that out before). She walked right into the rather small living space. There was no one around, but there was a cup of tea sitting unfinished on the coffee table.

"Mum?", she called, leading the Doctor in behind her.

There were no sounds, no signs of anyone.

Then, suddenly...

"ROSE!", resounded from somewhere to Rose's left, resulting in a shooting pain from her ear and up the side of her temple.

Rose actually literally jumped off the ground, and the Doctor did too.

Rose whipped her head around in alarm. She barely got a glimpse of Jackie Tyler before she was attacked with a hug that nearly floored her.

"Oh, Rose,", said Jackie.

The Doctor sighed. He went ahead and cut in front of them, making his way into the living space. This was always the way when he took Rose home for a visit. But he would find that something was a bit different this time.

"But wait!", interjected Jackie, suddenly backing away from her daughter.

"What is it, Mum?", said Rose, actually starting to get worried that something awful had happened in her absence.

"Do you know who was just here?!", said Jackie, starting to nearly jump up and down.

"I think I might have an idea,", said Rose, an amused grin pulling at the side of her mouth.

"PAUL McCARTNEY!", Jackie screamed, restarting Rose's headache.

Rose almost commented, but Jackie didn't seem to need encouragement to go on.

"I CAN'T BELIEEEVE IT! He sat on the sofa, OUR SOFA! He drank OUR TEA! He said he KNEW YOU, ROSE!", she squawked, covering her face with her hands.

"Yeah, he's a friend of ours,", said Rose.

"Oh... OH my word,", said Jackie, never taking her hands away from her face.

"I didn't think you liked his music, Mum?", said Rose, finding her mother's reaction a bit exaggerated.

"Oh, I don't. But he's so FAMOUS! And your Auntie Faye... Oh. My. God. Your Auntie Faye. I've got to call her!", she screamed, tripping over herself, lunging for the telephone on the coffee table, nearly bowling the Doctor over.

"Oh, sorry, love,", she said to him.

The Doctor just sat down in a chair and contentedly munched on a few biscuits from a tray, observing the scene before him.

"Wait!", exclaimed Jackie, stopping dead in her tracks. "I better call your Uncle Harry first. He'll need to get her sitting down before anyone breaks the news. And... Oh. Rose, we'll need a new sofa.".

"What?!", said Rose.

"Auntie Faye will offer any sum of money you care to mention for this sofa, and that cup,", pointed Jackie to the two articles that had been used by Sir Paul.

"Even if she hasn't got the money. Well, she might have it, but she won't have it for long, because I happen to know from an inside source who says that Uncle Harry's company is making some budget cuts, laying off some workers. She better buy this now before they're flat broke and homeless,", rambled Jackie, dialing the phone rapidly, wandering back to the kitchen, in her own gossipy, chattery world.

The Doctor just gave Rose a wide-eyed look. Rose returned it.

Rose started to sit down on the couch.

"Tut, tut!", said the Doctor. "Your Auntie Faye will want that sofa fresh. I don't suppose anyone will be allowed to sit there again.".

They both just stared at eachother seriously for a few moments. Then they busted out laughing.

After a few moments of silence after the laughter settled, Rose took the envelope out of her jacket pocket. The Doctor remained silent as Rose scanned over a piece of paper that she found inside.

Rose looked over the paper for only about a minute before she got back up and started for the door.

"Where are you going?", asked the Doctor, but making no move to follow her.

"Abbey Road,", Rose answered before slamming the door behind herself.

Rose trotted quickly down the stairs and out and across the concrete lot in back, and out and around to the street. She put her fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill whistle (a trick the Doctor had taught her), and she had a cab stopped in front of her in less than ten seconds.

"Where to, miss?", said a Cockney accent coming from the front seat as she slid into the back.

"Abbey Road Studios, please,", she said, slamming the door.

They were riding for a few minutes before the driver asked, "Fancy the Beatles, miss?".

"Yes, they're not bad,", said Rose, smiling to herself.

"No, not bad at all,", the driver replied.

In a few more minutes, she was there. Rose lept out of the cab as fast as she could.

"Oi! Miss!", cried the driver as Rose started to race down the sidewalk without thinking.

"Oh, sorry,", she said, turning back, emptying her purse into the driver's outstretched hand.

The driver, looking wide-eyed at the pile of change in his hand, started to count up the amount, but Rose had no patience.

"Keep the change, mate,", she said, shoving her empty coin purse back into her pocket and sprinting down the street.

The cab driver shrugged, and drove off.

Rose ran as fast as she could across traffic (rather perilously; it had become a very busy street since the 60s), and pushing through the doors, walked straight up to the front desk.

"Have an appointment, ma'am?", asked a rather chubby man with glasses, sitting and doing paperwork.

"No, but I need to see something. I hear you have archives here.".

"Yeah. But they're pretty limited. And you've got to be authorized to see them,", he said, looking Rose up and down rather cynically.

"I'm authorized, believe me,", Rose assured him.

The man gave her another look over, and sort of pursed his lips as if in doubt. He then turned his chair to a telephone on his desk, and pushed a button.

"Yeah?", said a voice from the other end of the line after a few moments.

"Lady 'ere wants to see the archives.".

"Is she authorized?".

"Says she is.".

There was a pause.

"Send her back.".

"All right, Harry. Thanks.".

"Yeah.".

*Click*.

"All right, ma'am, take a left here at the end of this hall, then a right, then another right. Harry will be there waiting for you,", said the man, returning to his paperwork.

"Thank you,", said Rose. She started sprinting down the hallway.

"AND DON'T - run,", said the man, giving up as Rose disappeared into the distance and around the bend.

Rose arrived at a door, and a man called Harry was there to receive her.

"Are you authorized?".

"Yes,", said Rose, eager to cut the red tape and get on with it.

"By whom, may I ask?", asked Harry, scratching his head, topped with gray hair.

"Paul McCartney.".

Harry just looked at her blankly.

"Are you sure about this, miss? I don't take kindly to jokes.".

"It's not a joke, sir. He gave me this letter,", she said, handing over the paper.

Harry lazily pushed his reading glasses onto his face, and studied the paper. After a few moments, he gave her the paper back.

"This way,", he said, ushering her through a door that he opened with an electronic keycard.

Rose was led through a few rows of fireproof filing cabinets. Finally, they came to one, and Harry started looking through the keys on his keyring for the right one. Rose bounced from foot to foot impatiently. He finally found the right key, and to Rose it seemed like he put it into the slot and turned it practically in slow-motion. Once the cabinet was open, Harry started shuffling through all the papers rather slowly. Rose thought she might explode from impatience.

Harry finally paused at a certain file. He pulled it out equally as slowly as he had done everything else, and handed it to Rose. Rose snatched it. Harry gave her a queer look that Rose didn't even notice.

What was inside the file shocked Rose.

There were several rumpled, yellowed papers, with lyrics scribbled all over them, several struck out, others circled, staffs sketched out here and there with handwritten notes plodded along them. Rose felt tears welling in her eyes. The papers were attempts at a song about her.

Rose shuffled through the papers, and in the back, there was one smooth, neat paper that had at the top written in Paul's same scrawled writing; "Rose". Rose felt tears roll down her cheeks. She couldn't read the lyrics past the third line; her tears prevented her from reading by then even if she would have wanted to. She shuffled past those papers, and the last sheet was a hand-written track listing of "Beatles for Sale", except it was different to the version that Rose had heard. Her song was placed there at number 4 on Side 1.

"Are you all right, ma'am?", asked Harry, who Rose realized was still standing in front of her.

"Oh,", said Rose, remembering herself. She carefully slid the papers back inside the folder with one hand and wiped her face with the other sleeve. "Yes, I'm quite fine. I don't suppose you would really let me have these?", Rose asked, now doubting seriously that she would be allowed to remove the file.

Harry gently took the file from her. He looked at a stamp and some writing on the side of the folder.

"I don't suppose you're Miss Rose Tyler?".

"Yes! Yes I am!", said Rose, now hopeful.

"Yes, it says here Sir Paul has authorized you and you alone to have these. Could I see some ID, miss?", he asked.

"Oh, of course,", said Rose, flashing her driver's license.

Harry looked over her license for a moment, considering it.

"Well, I suppose these are yours, then, Miss Tyler.".

"Thank you!", said Rose, starting out of the room. "Thank you very much.".

Rose was out of the filing room, and Harry was locking the door behind her when he called after her.

"Miss?".

"Yes?", said Rose, turning.

"You take good care of those. They ought to be in a museum. That is one of the few unrecorded songs by the Beatles.".

"Yes, sir,", said Rose, nodding respectfully.

With that, she turned and started walking. She walked all the way out of the building, rather slowly, deep in thought. She was clutching the file when she walked out the front door of the building.

The traffic had settled quite a bit since she had gone inside. There was virtually no traffic at that moment, a few cars parked alongside the road. Rose walked straight out into the street, crossing a painted crosswalk, swinging her arms at her sides, the file clutched in her right hand.


End file.
